Why Is It So Hard to Trust a Plan That's Working?
Updated: Sep 18
Why is it so difficult to trust a process that's working? For many hyperachievers, especially those with a strong Controller saboteur, uncertainty feels like failure. In this post, I share a lesson from my coach training, where there were no agendas, no schedules, and one repeated message: "Trust the process." I explore why leaders often abandon good plans too soon, how to distinguish discomfort from evidence, and four practical ways to build confidence in uncertainty. Great leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about staying committed long enough to learn, grow, and let the process work.
I'm going to tell you about one of the most uncomfortable experiences I've had as a learner.
When I went through my coach training, it looked nothing like any professional development program I'd attended before. I was used to detailed agendas, scheduled breaks, clearly defined learning objectives, and knowing exactly what was coming next.
This program was different.
Every day, we showed up without an agenda. I didn't know what we would be covering, how long an activity would last, or even when we would take a break. Every time someone asked what was next, the instructors smiled and said the same thing.
"Trust the process."
At the time, I thought they were just being vague. Looking back, I realize they were teaching one of the most important leadership lessons I've ever learned.
For hyperachievers, especially those with a strong Controller saboteur, uncertainty is incredibly uncomfortable. We want to know who is involved, what we're doing, when it's happening, and where we're headed. Control feels safe.
Trusting the process asks us to let go of that illusion.
What Does "Trusting the Process" Actually Mean for Leaders?
This is the fifth post in my series on COR.E Dynamics, the framework behind what iPEC calls the 7th Level Leader. If you've been following along, you've explored awareness, acceptance, and conscious choice. Each discipline builds on the last, and this is where many driven leaders hit a wall.
Trusting the process means committing to your current plan, staying focused on long-term growth, looking for the lesson in every experience, and making changes only when the evidence, not your anxiety, tells you it's time.
That last part is the difficult one.
When you're ambitious and results oriented, patience can feel like complacency. But trusting the process is not the opposite of adaptability. It is what makes wise adaptation possible. You cannot make a thoughtful pivot when you're reacting to fear. You can only do that from clarity.
Why Do We Abandon Plans That Are Actually Working?
Let's name the pattern.
You create a strategy for your team, your career, or your business. It's thoughtful and well planned. A few weeks later, progress feels slower than expected. Someone else appears to be moving faster. The uncertainty starts to build.
So you change course.
Not because the plan failed, but because sitting with uncertainty became more uncomfortable than starting over.
I see this all the time with coaching clients. Leaders abandon a new leadership style before their team has time to adjust. They switch priorities halfway through a quarter because the early results feel too slow. Entrepreneurs jump to the next marketing strategy before giving the current one enough time to work.
As I discussed in my post on conscious choice, our instincts are shaped by our experiences, beliefs, and fears. Trusting the process asks you to take the next step. Once you've made a thoughtful decision, stay with it long enough to discover whether it actually works.
How Do You Build the Discipline of Trusting Your Process?
Here are four practices that have helped both me and the leaders I coach.
Set a minimum commitment period.
Before starting something new, decide how long you'll stick with it before evaluating the results. Maybe it's 30 days. Maybe it's one quarter. When doubt inevitably shows up, remind yourself that you already decided when you would evaluate the plan.
Separate discomfort from data.
When something feels wrong, ask yourself a simple question.
Am I reacting to evidence, or am I reacting to uncertainty?
Those two feelings can seem identical, but they are not. Growth is uncomfortable. Failed strategies leave evidence.
Look for the lesson.
After a meeting, setback, or difficult conversation, ask yourself one question.
"What did I learn?"
This simple habit shifts your focus from judging the experience to learning from it.
Find someone who keeps you honest.
Not someone who simply encourages you. Find someone willing to ask whether you're making a thoughtful adjustment or simply trying to escape discomfort.
Sometimes we need another perspective to recognize what our anxiety is trying to hide.
What Was My Coach Training Really Teaching Me?
It took me months to appreciate what those instructors were doing.
They weren't withholding the agenda because they were disorganized.They were intentionally helping us experience what uncertainty feels like while giving us the opportunity to practice trusting anyway.
As coaches, our clients rarely arrive with neat agendas. Conversations don't always go where we expect. Growth isn't linear. If we couldn't trust the learning process ourselves, how could we expect our clients to?
The lesson extended far beyond coaching.
Life rarely gives us the full agenda. Leadership certainly doesn't.
The more comfortable we become operating without complete certainty, the more effective we become as leaders.
What Changes When You Actually Trust the Process?
It's like magic:
You stop burning energy by constantly starting over.
You begin building momentum that only comes from staying with something long enough to learn from it.
Your team notices that you don't panic every time uncertainty appears. Instead, you respond with curiosity, patience, and confidence.
Ironically, the more willing you are to release the need for control, the more capable you become of leading through uncertainty.
This week, notice where you're tempted to abandon something simply because you don't know what's coming next.
Ask yourself:
Am I seeing evidence that this isn't working, or am I simply uncomfortable not having the whole agenda?
Sometimes the greatest growth happens after hearing the words that once drove me crazy.
"Trust the process."
Ready to Build More Confidence in Uncertainty?
If trusting the process feels harder than it should, you're not alone. For many high achievers, especially those with a strong Controller saboteur, uncertainty feels like something to eliminate instead of something to navigate.
That's exactly the kind of pattern we work through in coaching. Together, we'll build the awareness and tools to help you lead with confidence, even when you don't have all the answers.
If that sounds like the next step for you, I'd love to talk. Schedule a free discovery session, and let's explore what's getting in your way.
Check out our other posts in this series:
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