Greg Stevenson argues that executives use delay as hidden avoidance, framing postponement as strategic timing. Saying "not now" or "after the quarter closes" feels less like fear than it is, masking uncomfortable conversations while the real problems fester.
The first is delay. This is most common and the most comfortable form because it doesn't feel like avoidance. It feels like judgment. Delay tells you the timing isn't right. Not now. After the quarter closes. Not this week. Things are too hot right now. Not this conversation. There's a larger conversation coming soon that will make this one unnecessary. Delay is avoidance dressed in strategic clothing. It looks like patience and good timing. It's neither. It is fear with a calendar attached to it.
