In our industry, waiting feels responsible.
Wait for the right hire.
Wait for the market to stabilize.
Wait until AI matures.
Wait until the strategy is perfect.
But here’s what I was reminded of in my recent conversation with Cara Moeller Poppitt:
Waiting to feel ready is often the most expensive decision a leader can make.
And that message hit differently for me: not as a motivational idea, but as a leadership principle.
Change Is Not the Disruption; It’s the Job
Cara’s journey doesn’t look like a typical executive résumé.
She moved abroad after high school to become a professional dancer. Danced in Mexico. Then in the Dominican Republic. Later earned a degree in business and psychology. Entered venture capital. Realized she wasn’t just meant to fund entrepreneurs – she was one.
She opened her own studio, Soul Connection in Calgary. Built a syllabus program. Raised three children. Ran two businesses.
And in the middle of building all of that, she felt something many MSP leaders quietly feel:
Stuck.
Not failing.
Not incapable.
Just aware that something needed to shift.
That’s where the real leadership lesson begins.
“Stuck” Is an Indicator of Growth
Most operators see stuck as friction.
Cara reframed it as a signal.
Being stuck is not a problem. It’s an alert indicating there’s more available to you.
For MSP leaders, that might show up as:
- Revenue plateauing
- Talent friction
- AI uncertainty
- Margin compression
- Market positioning drift
The instinct is to fix the discomfort before acting.
But that’s backwards.
The Backwards Confidence Model (And Why It Applies to MSPs)
Cara introduced something she calls the backwards confidence model.
Most people believe the sequence is:
Ready → Confident → Action
But the sequence is:
Action → Confidence → Readiness
You cannot feel ready to do something you’ve never done before.
Think about that in the context of:
- Launching a new service line
- Moving upstream into enterprise
- Integrating AI into operations
- Raising prices
- Hiring ahead of growth
No MSP leader ever says, “I feel 100% ready.”
The ones who grow act first, and only then the confidence builds.
That’s not recklessness.
That’s leadership.
That’s courage.
Why Frameworks Matter More Than Motivation
What impressed me most about Cara wasn’t the inspiration. It was the structure.
She built what she calls the Get Unstuck Cycle of Change: an eight-step model that applies personally, professionally, and organizationally.
For MSP leaders, the sequence translates cleanly:
- Acknowledge you’re stuck.
- Identify the exact change required.
- Manage mindset (fear, scarcity, hesitation).
- Build small momentum shifts.
- Invest in yourself or your team intentionally.
- Act boldly outside your comfort zone.
- Reflect and enjoy the journey.
- Unlock confidence through execution.
And here’s the part that matters:
You will get stuck again.
But this time, you’ll recognize it faster.
That’s maturity.
Acting Boldly Means Fear Shows Up
Cara was refreshingly honest about fear.
When you act boldly, fear appears.
Her advice? Greet it.
She jokes about saying “Hola” or “Bonjour” to fear.
I added “Ki Hala” in Punjabi.
But underneath the humor is a serious point:
Fear is not a stop sign. It’s confirmation that you’re stretching.
In MSP leadership, fear shows up when:
- EBITDA is on the line
- You’re restructuring teams
- You’re betting on a new direction
- You’re stepping onto bigger stages
Avoiding fear keeps you small.
Learning to operate with fear expands capacity.
Writing the Book: A Leadership Case Study
When I asked Cara where this model showed up most clearly in her life, she pointed to writing her book.
She was surrounded by high-level leaders, including Harvard professors. She felt intimidated. She carried a childhood learning disability in reading and writing.
She got stuck repeatedly.
Her coach, AJ Harper, would review her work and say it wasn’t good enough – after hours of effort.
She cried. She wanted to quit.
But she stayed anchored to service, the audience she wanted to help: people who feel stuck, disconnected, and unsure of how to move forward.
The result?
Her book was recognized in Forbes as a #1 book for leaders and hit three bestseller lists.
But the real outcome wasn’t recognition.
It was capability expansion.
That’s what leadership growth looks like.
Courage → Clarity → Confidence
One line from the conversation stood out:
Everything starts with courage.
Courage to look at your blind spots.
Courage to admit where you’re stuck.
Courage to ask harder questions.
Clarity follows courage.
Confidence follows clarity.
I connected that to my Everest journey.
Climbing Everest Base Camp didn’t start with readiness. It started with commitment.
Every meaningful move in my life: building businesses, stepping onto stages, scaling teams, began before I felt ready.
And I believe this deeply:
You cannot create a bigger future unless you also make peace with your past.
For MSP leaders, that means examining:
- Old business models
- Old pricing psychology
- Old limiting beliefs
- Old definitions of “success”
Growth requires both reflection and forward motion.
The Question Every MSP Leader Should Ask
Cara closes her talks with a question:
What are you waiting to do?
For MSP leaders, that question might translate to:
- What service have we delayed launching?
- What investment have we postponed?
- What conversation are we avoiding?
- What level are we afraid to step into?
Because growth isn’t about information.
It’s about movement.
Why This Conversation Was Enriching for Me
I’ve had thousands of leadership conversations.
This one stayed with me.
Because it reinforced something I’ve lived but rarely articulate this clearly:
Readiness follows action.
Whether it was immigrating to the U.S., building companies, committing to Everest, or stepping into bigger leadership roles: I never felt fully ready.
I moved.
Then clarity came.
Then confidence came.
What Cara brought to the conversation wasn’t just inspiration.
She brought language for something many leaders experience but don’t name.
She brought structure to uncertainty.
And that’s what makes it valuable – especially for MSP leaders navigating constant change.
Final Thought
The MSPs who win next won’t be the ones waiting for certainty.
They’ll be the ones who:
- Recognize “stuck” faster
- Build momentum deliberately
- Act before comfort arrives
- Treat fear as part of growth
So, I’ll leave you with this:
What are you waiting to build?
And what would happen if you stopped waiting?
