Why You're Still Stuck in the Same Kind of Role

🤔Are You Trapped in a Boxed Role?

Most change and transformation leaders and practitioners aren’t stuck because they aren't good. They’re stuck because of context.

Often, that context is this: your work is boxed into implementation projects.

You’re scoped in late. You inherit someone else’s vision. You deliver against someone else’s plan.

Over time, this becomes your brand. You’re seen as the executor. The fixer. The one who comes in after the big thinking is done.

And here’s the hard truth: being boxed in doesn’t play to your advantage.

It limits your influence. Your credibility. Your growth. It keeps you busy but not elevated. You move from one role to the next, maybe with better pay or a fancier title, but still tethered to the same box.

If you want to shape strategy, influence decisions, or lead from the front, you need to understand why this is happening and how to shift it.

Here are 5 reasons why this happens and what to do about them

1. You’re in a low-maturity organisation

In some organisations, transformation is still treated like a support function. You’re expected to implement, not influence.

What to do about it: Start leading in stealth. Use delivery touchpoints as opportunities to surface insights. Ask better questions. Shape the conversation, even if it’s informal. Influence isn’t always visible, but it compounds.

2. You’re overloading on frameworks

Learning is great. But if all you do is collect more frameworks, you reinforce the perception that you’re tactical - not strategic. You become the method person, not the one shaping direction.

What to do about it: Shift from learning more to learning differently. Study context. Practice reframing. Understand how the business sees value and learn to connect your work to that.

3. Your support system is too narrow

You can only grow so far in isolation. Without external perspectives, your thinking reflects only the environment you’re in. And if your environment is boxed, your thinking will be too.

What to do about it: Find people ahead of you, mentors, coaches, peers. Build a network outside your org. Get challenged. Get feedback. Expand how you see the game.

4. Your self-confidence keeps flickering

You know you’re capable of more. But you get stuck in the loop: do well, get noticed, get pulled into more of the same. Your ambition shows up but fades when the day-to-day takes over.

What to do about it: Treat confidence like a system, not a mood. Build habits that remind you of your value. Document your wins. Keep a vision front of mind. Don’t let your ambition drift quietly.

5. You’re stuck in your head

You overthink your next move. You wait until you’re “clear.” You wait until the timing is perfect. Corporate life trains you to seek permission and certainty, neither of which serves you when it’s time to grow.

What to do about it: Clarity comes through movement. Take micro-steps. Test ideas. Talk to people. Make small decisions quickly. Don’t wait for full certainty before you act.

How to really move forward, for real this time

You stop waiting for clarity to arrive.

You start creating it.

You stop relying on titles to reflect your value.

You start articulating and designing the role you want to play.

You stop learning more of the same.

You start integrating new thinking that actually changes your trajectory.

Because, in this age, with what’s happening in organisations, the market, and the speed of change, we don’t need “better” transformation practitioners.

We need different ones.

That’s why at the Transformation Leadership Institute, we’ve been supporting leaders and practitioners to evolve beyond their titles, shift how they think, and build the capability to lead what’s next.

Not just with another framework, but with clarity, positioning, mindset, and real-world application.

If you feel boxed in, your next move isn’t more of the same. It’s about acquiring the next-level capability to be relevant in the next-level context.

The results speak for themselves

And while you were delivering... maybe hesitating... maybe overthinking...

Here’s what happened recently in a week

✅ Helped a senior change manager shift from a change delivery path into a strategy execution lead role and land it

✅ Guided a transformation executive to nail a critical business case and secure board-level backing and funding

✅ Worked with a senior leader transitioning into a country lead role in the AI space

✅ Supported a transformation director to land an enterprise-wide transformation lead role internally (instead of defaulting back to the external consulting cycle)

You can break out of the box. The system won’t do it for you. But it’s absolutely possible.

And yes, I’m building something for those who want that shift.

Interested? Comment with "Next Level" and I’ll send you the details

The world is evolving fast 🌍 Are you keeping up?

Take the Future Fit Change Leader Quiz ✨ to find out if your leadership is future-ready or at risk of falling behind. Get assessed on:

• Career Progression
• Change Leadership
• Growth Potential
• Practice & Mindset
• Influence & Presence

🔍In just a few minutes, gain clarity, insight, and a personalised roadmap report to stay ahead. Take the quiz now: ***https://www.futurefitleader.com/relevance-quiz***

Till next week

Jess Tayel

Founder of the Transformation Leadership Institute and People of Transformation membership & community.

Enable organisations to become future-fit through their Transformation & Change efforts.

Elevate Change & Transformation high-performing leaders to soar above the sea of sameness and achieve new heights in mastery, influence, & impact without the drag of going solo or slow progression.