“Get comfortable with uncomfortable” is a familiar CrossFit slogan, but it carries a truth that reaches far beyond the gym. All growth, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual, sits on the far side of discomfort. Discomfort is simply the price you pay in advance for moving to the next level.
Yet discomfort triggers something deep in us.
As humans, one of our three primal fears is the fear of losing control.
Change threatens that sense of control, which is why it feels scary.
For leaders, this presents a challenge.
Your job is to guide people through change, even when your own wiring tells you to resist it.
So how do great leaders embrace a part of leadership that human nature tells them to avoid?
Reframing Is a Leadership Skill
The leaders who navigate change best are the ones who know how to reframe it.
They shift the story.
They shift the meaning.
They shift the energy.
One global organisation Flow Group recently partnered with has updated its Leadership Principles to reflect this very idea:
Embrace the change, and look for the opportunity.
It is a simple line with a powerful implication.
Change is not something to survive. It is something to learn from.
Growth Comes from the Hard Moments
The truth is that we learn more from our challenges than our wins.
Prosperity feels good, but it rarely teaches.
Adversity stretches us, tests us, and reveals what we are capable of.
Think about your own life.
Your greatest lessons likely came from the moments when you were pushed, stretched, or forced to adapt.
Leaders who understand this do not fear discomfort. They recognise it as the raw material of growth.
The Leader’s Work in Times of Change
Leadership in times of stability is comfortable.
Leadership in times of disruption is what defines you.
Your role is to help others expand their tolerance for discomfort without being overwhelmed by it. When you can guide people through that threshold, you create resilience, clarity, and confidence on the other side.
To explore this theme further, you can listen to the full Leadership in Chaos episode here:
https://bit.ly/3QPAnSN
Learn practical tools for guiding teams through change with GreenLine Conversations.
