She froze her entire job search because she was afraid of what people might think.

She froze her entire job search because she was afraid of what people might think.

My client was stuck. She wanted to reach out to her network about what's next in her career, but she was terrified it would get back to her CEO.

"The ickiness of how it could get back," she said. "That's the biggest stall."

So she wasn't reaching out to anyone. She'd put people on a "don't touch list." She was letting fear of one possible outcome keep her from having any conversations.

Here's what I told her:
Assume it will get back. And speak accordingly. What would you say if you knew your CEO was listening?

Because if you can say it in a way that feels true and in integrity - if you can frame it as "I love this work AND I'm covering my bases given the uncertainty of our funding" - then it doesn't matter if it gets back.

You're not doing anything wrong. You're covering your bases.

She said she'd never thought about using that as the approach.
And suddenly, all those people on her "don't touch list"? Back in play.

I see this all the time: Leaders freeze because they're afraid of how something might look or what someone might think.

So they don't have the conversation. They don't reach out. They don't explore.
And they stay stuck.

But when you assume the thing you're afraid of will happen, and you act in integrity? You're free.

You can have the conversation. You can reach out. You can move forward.

Ever stayed stuck on something because you were overthinking how it might look?