Great Leaders Love Being Uncomfortable!

I am fond of the words, “Great leaders get bored quickly.” As I have studied great leaders, I have observed that once they learn to do something, they love delegating what they have learned to someone else and then focusing their energy on thinking strategically and/or learning something new. The challenge of thinking strategically or learning something new is that it’s more difficult than doing something you already know how to do, and could do in your sleep. Doing something differently or learning something new is uncomfortable.

I have a challenge for you today. Take your watch off the wrist on which you normally wear it, place it on the other arm and leave it there for the rest of the day. How does it feel? Count how many times during the day you look at the arm where you normally wear your watch, only to find that it is no longer there. Even this most simple of changes is uncomfortable to fully incorporate into your life. Since you’re reading this, you probably realize how difficult change can be on a scale much larger than wrist watches.

Change isn’t possible without discomfort, and because of this, great leaders keep their people uncomfortable. The most successful leaders also keep themselves uncomfortable. It’s the job of the leader to improve the condition of their organization or the causes for which they are working. Improving something means creating change. Whether it is improving a process, implementing a new idea, lowering costs, improving quality or taking customer service to a level that challenges just about everyone in the organization, change is uncomfortable.

Before leaders can be successful at improving organizations, they must first take a look at themselves and identify ways in which they must change. The following 6 tips will help you embrace the discomfort that comes along with the realization that in order to lead change, you must first be able to change yourself.

Crystallize your Positive Vision

Because you see yourself as someone who is able to lead others through change, it only makes sense that you will be leading the way in implementing the change. Also, when you have a positive vision, it will be much easier to overcome the obstacles and hurdles that present themselves along the way.

Set Goals

A goal is something you want to improve or accomplish, preferably within a specific time frame. To accomplish goals, you have to change the way in which you currently spend your time, energy, and resources. This is why most diets fail. Most people are unwilling to do things differently for an extended period of time. They don’t have the vision, and are not willing to deal with how uncomfortable it is to incorporate the change into their lives permanently.

Think Possibilities

Any time you think about a situation and conclude, “There is nothing more I can do,” you limit your ability to change, and instead find a way to keep yourself comfortable. Try to ask yourself, “What could I do to help our team take the level of service to a place that would WOW our clients?” This opens up many more possibilities which, in turn, can create positive change.

Get Excited and Move

The average life expectancy is 75.7 years for men, and 80.8 years for women. Most people don’t like thinking about their own death, but when you realize that your time on Earth is limited and the countdown is on, you suddenly want to implement actions a little quicker. This includes accomplishing the goals still lingering on your bucket list.

Acknowledge your Weakness

Everyone is really good at something. Some can sell, others can build businesses, and still others are outstanding at managing a process or efficiently completing tasks. But, everyone has weaknesses that hold them back from rising to their full potential. Understand your weaknesses and challenge yourself by pushing past them. If we only did things that we were comfortable with, we would never grow. Discomfort equals growth. When it comes to implementing change, it almost always means there will be conflict somewhere… because change is uncomfortable. If you are not comfortable resolving conflict and working on your weaknesses, you will not reach your full potential. What is your weakness?

Celebrate your Successes

When you incorporate new changes into your life, some are going to work successfully and some will miss the mark. Keep a list of the successful changes you make in your life and the goals you have achieved in a place for quick reference. You are not going to be remembered in this life by the number of times that you fail. You will be remembered by the number of times you succeed. Focus on your strengths and celebrate your successes.

It’s difficult to get others to change if you, the leader, don’t implement personal change first. These tips will pave a smoother path for you to lead others through the discomfort of change by modeling the benefit of the changes you are expecting of others.