We see a pattern when people are on the verge of a major breakthrough. Last week, we outlined the first phase–the flatline. In this piece, we will explore the other two phases–the crisis point and the push–and how to navigate your next big shift.
2. The Crisis Point
When things intensify, and suddenly, everything seems to demand resolution now. Perhaps a key relationship feels strained. Or a decision that’s been sitting in the wings becomes urgent. Resources are stretched.
This isn’t a collapse; just the creative process asking you to put it all on the line.
A client was managing a high-stakes account that was quietly consuming her. She’d been stressing about it for weeks, convinced that asking for support would make her look weak. When she finally named the crisis with her team, something shifted. Yes a support structure was built, and the account was retained, but the deeper breakthrough was internal. The crisis forced her to incinerate those final images about how a leader is supposed to look, and just be full-on who she is.
Half-measures don’t work here. When you hit a crisis point, it requires you to put something real on the line. A time to ask yourself, what am I holding back?
3. The Push
There’s a moment in every breakthrough where timing is everything. Push too early and nothing catches. Miss the window, and the momentum dissipates. Trying to get it back is painful.
A CEO is preparing to pitch a major strategic pivot to his board. For weeks, the groundwork is laid, conversations, data, and alignment. Then, in the 48 hours before the presentation, everything sharpens. The narrative clicks. The energy is right.
Here is the great skill: reading the signal when the creative process says, push now. You don’t question the urgency. It’s a recognition. You feel called to move, and you go for it.
Your Next Big Shift
You don’t have to be in a major inflection point. These three phases show up at every scale in life, whether a quarterly strategy reset, a difficult conversation, a product launch, or a life transition.
Start noticing. When you feel the flatline, name it. When the crises converge, ask what you have been holding back that is asked of you now. When the push comes, give it all.
The breakthrough moment rarely comes when you feel on top of your game. More often, it’s on the other side of the moment you almost gave up.
I trust this helps you as much as I notice it helping others. We are, at last, beginning to understand and align with the creative process!
Best
David Lesser