From Hustle to Halt: Leading Well through Margin and Transition
Image Created by SMETEK/SCIENCE
In today’s fast-paced world, we are often told to push forward, strive for progress, and never settle. The mantra, “Winning in the Margins,” embodies the sentiment to use every available opportunity in our lives to advance and succeed. However, the drive for success can lead us to overwork, overload, and overlook one crucial element—margin. But what if the key to lasting growth lies not in doing more but in embracing the spaces in between? These liminal spaces, where we are caught between what was and what is next, are uncomfortable yet essential for transformation. Navigating these uncertain periods with patience and purpose can be the most powerful catalyst for personal and professional growth. In this article, I will briefly examine the importance of margin in our lives and leadership and provide a roadmap for leading through transitions. Drawing on insights from Volume One of Illuminare[1], we will explore how embracing the in-between can fuel long-term success. From leading transitions effectively to cultivating the resilience needed to thrive through discomfort, we will uncover how waiting and navigating change are both necessary and transformative.
Winning in the Margins
In her article “Finding and Keeping Margin,” Karise Hutchison underscores the societal emphasis on progress and delineates the inherent dangers associated with such a priority.[2] She addresses the deceptive and addictive nature of prioritizing progress, which can ultimately lead to burnout. Building on this premise, Hutchison articulates the necessity of intentionally creating margin within our schedules to allow for the unexpected, guard our productivity, and make us more flexible and available as leaders to serve the needs of others.
However, margins can represent more than just empty spaces on a calendar. In an interview, Glenn Williams, author of When Leaders are Lost, identified margins in a clarifying way, discussing the time between opportunities and what he refers to as the “hallway of transition.” He states, “They say when one door closes, another door opens. What many don’t tell you about is the long walk between the doors.”[3] Contrary to what Dr. Suess might think, “The Waiting Place”[4] is not useless; it is in this margin that some valuable transformation can occur. Although it can be disorienting at first, it may ultimately yield the fruit of clarity and growth. Christine Gilland Robinson, in her article “ Taking the Long Way Around,” reflecting on her pregnancy, notes that often, during times of transition, we are invited into a season of intense waiting. Waiting can be highly transformative; you reach a point of recognizing your lack of control and arrive at a place of surrender.[5]
In “Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding[6],” Meyer and Land explore the concept of liminality—the space and time between the known and the unknown. Leaders who operate without margin often fail to take the time to reflect in this in-between space, where deep transformation occurs. Rather than rushing on to the next task, leaders can learn to remain in this liminal space, allowing insights to emerge and guiding their direction with greater intentionality.
When leveraged effectively, margins represent the space leaders create for themselves and others to handle unexpected challenges, reflection, and personal renewal. Without margin, leaders face the risk of burnout, reduced effectiveness, and a lack of perspective. It is essential to acknowledge God’s design for margin. Consider the pattern in the creation account found in Genesis 1-2, where God rested and appreciated His creation on the seventh day, inviting us to embrace this same intentionality around rest. To truly succeed in the margins, we must resist the societal pressure for constant progress and trust in God’s design and pattern for our flourishing.
A Map for Leading Others Through Transition
Next, we will consider the importance of leading others through transition. Hutchison points out that transition is different than change. She states, “Change can be described as external, imposed on an individual or organization, transition is an internal psychological process of adapting to a new situation.”[7] While they can happen simultaneously, transitions don’t occur automatically. This is where healthy leadership can be beneficial. Hutchison offers three phases of transition for leaders to consider, which, along with insights we have considered concerning margins, can serve as a map for leading others through transition:
The Three Phases of Transition and The Map:[8]
1. Saying Goodbye (Letting Go of the Old)
- People often struggle with losing familiarity, even when they desire change.
- Leaders must acknowledge this phase’s emotional and psychological impact, giving individuals time to process their feelings.
- Key leadership strategy: Provide clear communication and honor the past before moving forward.
2. The Neutral Zone (Liminal Space)
- This is the in-between stage, where the old is gone, but the new is not yet fully realized.
- It is the most uncertain and challenging phase and the space where real transformation happens.
- Leaders must resist the urge to rush through this stage and instead create a supportive environment for exploration, reflection, and learning.
- Key leadership strategy: Normalize discomfort, encourage adaptability, and provide bridges (such as mentorship, training, or new resources) to help people move forward.
3. Saying Hello (Moving Forward)
- In this final phase, individuals and teams meet (say “Hello”) and fully embrace new structures, ideas, and identities.
- Leaders must recognize that not everyone moves through these stages at the same pace, and people may arrive at this stage at different times. Continued encouragement and reinforcement are essential.
- Key leadership strategy: Celebrate small wins, reinforce shared purpose, and ensure clarity in the new direction.
Conclusion: The Intersection of Margin and Transition
For leaders, maintaining margin and navigating transition are deeply connected. Margin allows leaders to step back and guide change with wisdom rather than reactionary force. Liminality—the space between the old and the new—is where personal and organizational transformation happens, but only if leaders allow time and space for it.
Winning in the margins isn’t about doing more but leading with greater intentionality. By embracing margin and recognizing the transformative power of liminal spaces, leaders can cultivate a healthy approach to progress, foster resilient teams, and guide meaningful change.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Illuminaire, Vol. 1 (2024).
[2] Karise Hutchinson, “Finding and Keeping Margin”, Illuminaire, Vol. 1 (2024), 78-79.
[3] Glenn Williams, “Getting Lost in transition,” Illuminaire, Vol. 1 (2024), 96.
[4] Dr. Suess, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, (New York: Random House, 1990), 23.
[5] Christine Gilland Robinson, “Taking the Long Way Around,” Illuminaire, Vol. 1 (2024), 109.
[6] Jan H. F.Meyer and Ray Land, Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge, (London: Routledge, 2006).
[7] Karise Hutchinson, “Leading Transition”, Illuminaire, Vol. 1 (2024), 85.
[8] Ibid,. 86.
About the Author
Chad Warren
A husband, father, pastor, teacher, and student seeking to help others flourish.8 responses to “From Hustle to Halt: Leading Well through Margin and Transition”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hi Chad,
What strategies can leaders employ to create a supportive environment in the “Neutral Zone” that fosters exploration, reflection, and learning, while normalizing discomfort and encouraging adaptability?
Shela, I think leaders can do a few things to create a supportive environment in the “Neutral Zone” that fosters exploration, reflection, and learning while normalizing discomfort and encouraging adaptability. One way is to promote open communication and normalize uncertainty by acknowledging transition challenges. Another is to create a culture where questions, doubts, and experimentation are welcomed without fear of judgment. Finally, leaders can model vulnerability by sharing personal experiences of change and liminality.
Hey Chad. Thanks for this post- you master capturing the reading. As stated, effective leadership isn’t just about pushing forward but also about creating room for renewal and adaptation. Given this, how do you think leaders can resist the societal pressure for constant progress while cultivating margin in our daily lives?
Daren, leaders can resist the social pressure for constant progress while cultivating margin in our daily lives by adopting intentional habits and mindsets that prioritize sustainable leadership over relentless productivity. This begins by redefining success as more than output.
Thanks for your blog, Chad. Your post has been good food for thought as I prepare for a session that I have to do for a staff team in transition after the resignation of a lead pastor. How might you integrate this transition material into your leadership at the church?
Chad, it’s so interesting that you talked about this place of waiting. I heard a recorded sermon today that knocked my socks off. The pastor talked about Jacob wrestling with God. But just as important was the part about how he’d been waiting for 20 years to return home. It may have seemed like nothing was happening, but God was molding him, changing and transforming him.
How do you see yourself waiting on God for something these days, and what is God doing either largely or imperceptibly through that waiting?
Hi Chad, great post, as always.
It’s a struggle to protect the margin in our lives, but you strike me as someone who is well-balanced and able to maintain margin. Have you noticed the difference between leading a transition without margin and leading one with margin?
Hi, Chad, thanks for sharing the concepts of ‘schedules to allow for the unexpected,’ and the ‘flexibility and availability to serve.’ Currently, I have try my best to be flexible and available to serve. It is very difficult when it is the result of something unexpected. Starting tomorrow, I hope that from last week’s experience, I and my co-workers will have some plan of tackling this week’s load. Well, I wonder how much of availability and flexibility is too much. Thank you.