Traps are comfort with a long fuse.
Lousy leaders excuse what comes naturally.
Emotional volatility for hotheads.
Avoidance for the passive.
Isolation for the insecure.
Distrust comfort. Ease today can be painful tomorrow.
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Problems persist because we prefer comforting stories over painful realities.
Leaders tell soothing stories that prolong problems.
“I care more than others,” excuses micromanagement.
“I have high standards,” hides a critical spirit.
The best thing you can do with thorny issues is dig them out before they fester.
Dear Dan,
I’ve certainly been guilty of using pressure tactics in the past to get results out of my team members.
I’m curious, how should I express to a team member that I’m deliberately challenging for the sake of their growth, that they are being pressured for a specific reason?
How to Challenge People
If work is miserable, you might as well enjoy it. Don’t double misery by adding sour feelings to painful situations.
The advantage of challenge outweighs the enjoyment of ease.
“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
Surrender isn’t giving up. It’s yielding to what you can’t change.
Moderate levels of discomfort—stretch assignments—accelerate development.
Skills are learned best by doing, when tasks are meaningful and unfamiliar.
70% of learning comes from challenging job assignments. 20% from social learning like modeling, feedback, and coaching. 10% from formal training.
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No-win situations feel like running on a hamster wheel. Running faster multiplies frustration.
Three things never go away in leadership: competing priorities, limited resources, and increasing expectations.
It doesn’t matter how fast you run. You must run faster tomorrow. You have to lay off people and still deliver results, for example.
You have choices.
