In the premiere of our podcast, Time to Press Pause Season 3, Ed Clementi shared a story that reflects a truth many business leaders and executives face but rarely acknowledge: sometimes the most courageous move isn’t charging forward, it’s stepping back. His decision to walk away from the C-suite to build something of his own wasn’t a retreat; it was a recalibration.
The idea of pressing pause is a personal leadership lesson and a process every organization must embrace if it wants to scale sustainably. In my work as a business analyst and growth strategist, I see companies every day that are on what Ed calls “the wrong train.” They’ve invested years, talent, and budget into legacy systems or outdated processes that no longer support their future. The instinct is to “stay the course” because it feels safer. But as Ed reminds us, staying on the wrong train only guarantees you end up at the wrong destination.
Step One: Recognize the Signals
Ed’s journey began with an honest self-check. He listened to his own “GPS” (body, heart, and mind) and realized his values no longer aligned with the path he was on. Businesses have the same signals:
- Outdated technology: Tools that once drove productivity now create bottlenecks.
- Inefficient workflows: Manual workarounds replace streamlined systems.
- Cultural misalignment: Employees feel disconnected from tools, vision, and goals.
These are strategic indicators that it’s time to pause and reassess.
Step Two: Reframe the Pause
Ed reframed his pause as an opportunity to bet on himself. For organizations, pausing isn’t about slowing growth; it’s about building the capacity to scale smarter. That’s where structured business analysis comes in.
At The Salient Strategist, I guide clients through The Salient Pathway™, a framework that does for businesses what Ed did for himself: create clarity before taking the next leap. It starts with leadership workshops to align on vision, moves into “day-in-the-life” interviews to capture real workflows, and maps processes and technology against where the business is headed.
The result is a future-state blueprint that shows exactly what needs to change and why.
Step Three: Invest in the Right Bet
Ed had mentors who “bet on him,” and in turn, he worked harder to prove their investment right. Companies need to make the same kind of bet on clarity.
That means:
- Selecting scalable technology that enables growth.
- Aligning processes so teams can work with, not against, their tools.
- Building adoption strategies so change feels empowering, not disruptive.
It’s not about being fearless. It’s about being intentional.
Step Four: Light the Fire
Ed launched Inspired Fire without a roadmap but with the conviction that he was on the right path. Businesses don’t need to take that kind of blind leap. With the right analysis, they can move forward with confidence that their path is designed for scalability, resilience, and long-term value creation.
Pressing pause is leadership. It’s choosing to recalibrate before momentum carries you further away from where you need to be.
That’s what I help companies do every day: step off the wrong train, press pause with purpose, and design a future-ready growth strategy that fits.
