“Oh. They need courage.”

For almost a decade, I have heard this phrase.

It’s a line murmured by many after hearing a brand name that’s stuck in neutral.

Every once in a while, I’ll collide with a brand that doesn’t simply need courage because they need to change.

They need courage because they are on a rocket ship towards growth.

Last week, I was conducting a workshop in one of those rooms.

Growth is the name of the game at Chipotle.

It’s public information just how ambitious their goals are.

Think: Opening roughly one restaurant per day.

That’s 350+ new restaurants planned by the end of this year.

Buckle your seat belt:

That’s a lot of burritos.

That’s a lot of real estate.

That’s a lot of NEW hires, too.

For some businesses, this is what luxury looks like.

Who are we going to promote from within?

How are we going to hire the right people from outside?

Can we maintain our standard of excellence when we expand to 7,000 stores?

This is the scary stuff that only a select few leaders have the privilege of worrying about.

Then, there are many leaders at the “Oh. THEY need courage.” corporations.

If you find yourself whispering, “something needs to change here,” recognize the data point.

There’s nothing wrong about this data point unless you don’t take it upon yourself to right the ship.

Here’s what that might look like when you speak up:

There’s no growth without change.

There’s no change without courage.

There’s no courage without fear.

There’s no progress when there’s no conversation.

The next time you think:

“Oh. They need courage.”

Ask yourself the hard question:

Are you part of the “THEY”?

If the answer is yes, what’s your next move?