From first-jobbers to CEOs, everyone is transforming, whether they realise it or not

There is something I have learned after three decades of working with leaders, teams and people at every possible stage of life.

Everyone is fighting a quiet battle. Everyone is carrying something you cannot see. And everyone is transforming, whether they realise it or not.

When we talk about “transformation”, we imagine big organisational moves. New systems. New strategies. New structures. But the real transformation — the one that actually shapes an organisation — is far quieter and far more personal.

It happens inside people. Inside you. Inside your colleague. Inside every person who walks into the office with hopes, fears, dreams and questions.

So let me take you through the three chapters of transformation I see most often — not as a consultant, but as a fellow human being walking through life.

Chapter One: When You Are Just Beginning

I always think of a young woman I once coached. She was 23, full of ideas, full of energy — and full of quiet insecurity. She told me, “I want to do well, but I do not know if I am enough.”

Her honesty touched me. Many young professionals feel this way but rarely say it.

They enter a world moving faster than anything they learned in school. Everyone tells them to “be confident”, “learn quickly”, “show initiative”, but inside they are still figuring out who they are.

If you are in this stage, here is what I want you to hear:

You do not need to have your whole life figured out. You just need to be brave enough to take the next step.

Not the next ten. Just the next one.

Transformation for you is not about perfection. It is about discovery. It is about learning who you can become when you give yourself permission to try.

One small step at a time.

Chapter Two: When You Are in the Middle of Everything

This is the stage where life gets full. Work. Family. Ambition. Responsibilities. A little pressure. A little uncertainty. A little fatigue that sometimes feels heavier than you admit.

I once worked with a manager who told me, “I feel like everyone needs something from me — my team, my kids, my boss, my parents — and there is not much left for myself.”

Maybe you feel this too.

This stage is messy and beautiful at the same time. You are stronger now. You know more. You have survived challenges your younger self could never imagine. But you are also stretched thin, and sometimes you feel stuck between who you were and who you want to become.

If you are in this season, I want you to know:

You are allowed to pause. You are allowed to reset. You are allowed to choose yourself again.

Your transformation is not about doing more. It is about doing differently. It is about finding a new rhythm that honours the life you are building.

You do not need to win every day. You just need to keep moving gently forward.

Chapter Three: When You Are Expected to Have All the Answers

Senior leaders rarely talk about their fears. They walk into rooms confident, articulate, decisive. But I have seen what sits behind that confidence.

The sleepless nights. The pressure. The fear of becoming irrelevant in an AI-driven world. The responsibility of guiding others. The loneliness that no one warns you about.

One senior leader once told me quietly, “People think I am strong, but some days I feel like I am holding everything together with my fingertips.”

If you are in this stage, I want to say something many leaders never hear:

You deserve support too.

Your transformation is not about proving yourself. You have already done that.

Your transformation is about renewal. Finding new meaning, new energy, new ways of leading that feel authentic to who you are now.

Even leaders need space to breathe. Space to reflect. Space to remember why they chose this path.

And they deserve it.

The Truth That Connects Us All

Different generations. Different roles. Different stages of life.

But we are more similar than we think.

We all want to feel that our work matters. We all want to feel that we are growing. We all want to feel supported and understood.

We all want to feel that we are becoming better versions of ourselves.

Transformation does not happen in boardrooms. It happens in hearts.

It happens in the quiet moments when we decide to change something within ourselves.

It happens when:

A young talent speaks up for the first time.

A mid-career professional chooses balance over burnout.

A senior leader decides to trust more and fear less.

These are the transformations that shape an organisation.

These are the transformations that shape a life.

A message from me to you. Whatever season you are in, please remember this:

You are allowed to grow slowly. You are allowed to evolve gently. You are allowed to transform at your own pace.

You are not behind. You are not missing anything. You are exactly where you need to be to take your next step.

Transformation is not loud. It is quiet. It is personal.

And it begins the moment you decide to listen to who you are becoming.

Arinya Talerngsri is Senior Vice President, Local Partner and Managing Director at BTS Thailand (formerly SEAC), part of the BTS Group, a leading global strategy implementation firm. She is passionate about revolutionising education and creating opportunities for Thais and people worldwide. Executives and organisations looking to collaborate or learn more about leadership development, talent development, succession planning and organisational transformation can contact her directly at arinya.talerngsri@bts.com or visit her LinkedIn profile.