As I’ve been finishing writing the third book in the Great Traits Performance Series, The Legacy Effect: How you Show Up Matters, I’ve found myself returning again and again to one trait in particular.

The timing feels especially relevant as Canadian sport faces growing pressure to challenge convention and rethink how the system moves forward.

We have been at this crossroads before and not taken the plunge.

• Reports have identified problems before.
• Recommendations have been made before.
• Conversations about change have happened before.

The recently released Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action report lays out deep concerns across the Canadian sport system, including fragmented leadership, governance issues, lack of alignment, barriers to participation, and ongoing safe sport challenges.

It also points repeatedly to the need for stronger leadership, better coordination, and a clearer national approach to sport in Canada.

As a result, significant new federal funding has now been committed toward areas such as safe sport, grassroots, infrastructure, and high-performance sport.

But one critical question still feels unresolved:

The report contains recommendations. The funding creates opportunity. But neither automatically creates clarity, alignment, or decisive leadership.

Without that clarity, systems often drift toward familiar structures, existing processes, and established power dynamics simply because they are already in place.

“Over time, that pull toward what feels known and manageable can quietly become stronger than the push for meaningful change.”

And, it leaves me wondering:

Will this moment actually lead to meaningful change?

Or will we slowly drift back toward what feels familiar simply because it is what we know?

That is often how systems operate. The status quo is powerful, not because it is always effective, but because it is familiar. People understand how to operate within it. Organizations build structures around it. Leaders adapt to it. Over time, systems naturally drift toward protecting what already exists.

That is why challenging convention matters.

• Do we have the courage to act on what has now been clearly identified?
• Do we make difficult decisions about leadership, alignment, accountability, and structure?

And, perhaps the most important questions are:

• Who is “we”?
• Who is responsible for leading this phase?
• Who has the authority to align the system, make difficult decisions, and move meaningful change forward?

Right now, that still feels unclear.

These questions need to be addressed before meaningful progress can move forward effectively.

Real system leadership requires the ability to look beyond individual mandates, organizational interests, and existing structures in order to focus on what will strengthen the system as a whole. Without that broader perspective, systems often struggle to rethink themselves in truly transformational ways.

“If we are not careful, there is a real risk that new funding simply reinforces old patterns instead of creating meaningful progress.”

Challenging convention is not about tearing systems apart. It is about having the courage to honestly examine whether they are still positioned to serve the future effectively, and if not, creating a better way forward.

Perhaps one of the most important things all of us can do right now is stay willing to challenge what no longer works, especially when it looks different on the surface but leaves the underlying system untouched.

That means staying focused on what will genuinely strengthen sport for athletes, coaches, participants, and future generations, not simply protecting organizations, roles, or existing structures.

Real system change takes time. And over time, it becomes easy for momentum to fade and familiar patterns to quietly return.

Our challenge now is to keep that momentum moving forward.

To stay willing to speak up, rethink what no longer works, and continue pushing for meaningful progress, even when change become difficult, uncomfortable, or slow.

This moment will require perseverance, resilience, and a collective commitment to building something better.