Discomfort & Leadership
No one ever said that being a leader is easy. Sometimes it’s scary, and Sometimes it is infuriating. Most times, it’s uncomfortable. So Let’s talk about discomfort. Nowadays, leadership is a scarce commodity because few people are willing to go through what is uncomfortable and step into leadership. (Seth Godin-Tribes)
We fail to realize that discomfort makes leadership valuable.
The truth is If everyone tries to lead all the time, not much happens, you end up with too many cooks in the kitchen. If everyone tries to speak at once, you never hear what people are trying to say. It all becomes noise. It becomes chatter in the background, and the intentions get lost. It’s the discomfort that creates the momentum that makes leadership worthwhile. In other words, if everyone can do it, they would.
It’s uncomfortable to do many, many things. It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers, give a presentation or speech for the first time, or introduce a new idea that might not work. It’s uncomfortable to challenge someone else’s ideas or the status quo. It’s uncomfortable to say no when everyone else is saying yes.
When you can identify what that discomfort is. You have found the place where a leader is needed. If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your full potential as a leader. Leaders often figure out how to step into those vacuums and create motion. Those vacuums where leadership is necessary. They work hard to generate movement to generate traction; leaders work hard to get people involved. They work hard to bolster cooperation. Leaders speak up when it is time to have a challenging conversation. Leadership creates movement and transforms people. leaders motivate and inspire.
When we lean into discomfort and lead, our environments become communities, and the people we work with become family.