Breakthrough Leadership: Navigating the Confusion Zone

As transformational leaders, we recognize the silver lining of any crisis: the opportunity for breakthrough.

Where are you and your team in the High-Performance Model for Innovation (also known as the Transformation Process)?

From Comfort to Confusion

Over the past few years, higher education—and really every sector—has been pushed out of the Comfort Stage, through Denial, and squarely into the Confusion Stage.

No leader I talk with today believes things will simply “go back to normal.” The illusion of control is gone. Adaptation isn’t optional—it’s essential.

In higher ed, especially, the familiar refrain of “there’s no problem” has evaporated as quickly as hand sanitizer in 2020. Every institution now sees the need to adapt—not only to shifts in work environments, but also to new student expectations, tighter budgets, different buying cycles, and shifting priorities.

Enrollment teams are encountering a different kind of student—one shaped by disruption mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially.

The Silver Lining of Crisis

Here’s the good news: transformational leaders know that breakthrough is born in the Confusion Zone.

This is the moment to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and reset culture. It’s time to break free from what has held innovation back and to focus on what matters.

When leaders engage their teams in questions of value, transformation happens:

- Shifts in perspective

- Unity of purpose across departments

- Profitable initiatives

- True innovation and invention

Don’t Camp Out in Confusion

The Confusion Zone is not the final destination—it’s the place where breakthrough begins. Leaders must boldly embrace the uncertainty, then guide their teams toward clarity and growth.

Ask the right questions until the right answers surface. That’s how you move from crisis to transformation.

Would you like to explore how this applies to your institution?
Our Value Based experts help schools move beyond confusion to sustainable growth.