Comfort in Discomfort

There’s a great irony in authentic people leadership:

You have to learn to become comfortable working with others who are experiencing pain.

Worse yet, you may be the cause of that pain.

Not through any malicious intent or carelessness on your part (ideally) but rather because you’re the agent of some organizational change that has tipped over their apple cart.

Their discomfort may come in the form of shuffling their reporting assignments, job roles, priorities, tradeoffs, resource allocations, or performance expectations.

When you’re in the presence of someone who’s in the grip of change, that’s a very human moment.

Be human in that moment.
Listen instead of speaking.
Ask questions instead of making statements.
Let a heavy silence linger.

Change will never be easy for some of your most valued team members.

Be an authentic people leader who accompanies them to the other side of their personal pain.