“Trust the process” is a phrase that seems to be showing up everywhere – in business and personal conversations, leadership rooms, times of personal reflection, and moments when my every patience is being tested. I first started hearing it around the hockey rink and now I say it, or think it, myself. When I hear my 10-year-old saying it, confidently shortening it to “TTP”, it feels like it’s become part of the family vocabulary.

My boys use the phrase or acronym a lot in sports – after a tough practice, a missed opportunity, a game that didn’t go as planned, or to survive the rollercoaster ride that is travel sports tryouts. Don’t even get me started on that! TTP shows up in moments of frustration and uncertainty, when effort hasn’t yet translated into results. And there’s something powerful in that simplicity. No overthinking. Just an understanding that growth happens through repetition, patience, and persistence. That mindset also translates directly to leadership.

At its core, trusting the process is about believing that meaningful outcomes are rarely immediate. In business, results are usually the product of consistent effort and patience. Progress rarely announces itself right away. Relationships and strong teams take time to build. Culture doesn’t form in a quarter. Growth often looks messy before it looks successful. Trusting the process is staying committed to the work before the outcomes are obvious, choosing consistency and patience over quick wins and long-term impact over short-term validation. It’s not easy, especially when obstacles arise and things aren’t working; it’s even harder, and more important, when things seem uncertain.

On a personal level, TTP carries even more weight. Life doesn’t offer step-by-step instructions, and it certainly doesn’t move on our preferred timelines. Progress comes in waves – forward steps, setbacks, plateaus, and unexpected detours. Trusting the process doesn’t mean ignoring frustration or pretending everything is fine. It’s about accepting that discomfort, uncertainty, and slow progress are often necessary parts of real change and growth. Sometimes the process is shaping you more than producing tangible results.

What makes “trust the process” powerful is that it shifts the focus from outcomes to actions. Instead of obsessing over what hasn’t happened yet, it asks a better question:

• Am I showing up consistently?
• Am I doing the right things, even when it’s hard to see or measure progress?

When I see this mindset through a child’s lens, it becomes even more simple and honest. There’s no overanalysis – just an understanding that effort matters, that learning is part of the journey, and that setbacks don’t mean failure. Forward motion – no matter how small – still counts. In many ways, TTP is a lesson adults often need to relearn. Progress is not always linear, and patience is surely a skill.

Trusting the process puts faith in staying committed to, and grounded in, your values while remaining flexible in execution. It means doing the work, learning from feedback, not fearing failure, and allowing time to do what it does best – compound effort into progress.

Maybe that’s why the phrase keeps resurfacing in both my business and personal life. It’s meant to be a reminder that momentum often builds quietly, beneath the surface, long before results become visible. When I say “trust the process” or “TTP” now, I’m also thinking about my 10-year-old lacing up his cleats as he heads to the field, and my 13-year-old lacing up his skates and stepping onto the ice, and reminding themselves that improvement comes from showing up, working hard, patience and consistency. Whether it’s business, personal growth, or a tough practice after a long day, TTP has become a shared language – a reminder that forward is forward, even when it’s slow.