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Organizational Results: Create Discomfort

Mar 21, 2010
Organizational Results

Kendall L. Stewart, M.D.

Discomfort is a double-edged prod. Most of us will not change unless we experience some discomfort. Too much of it is paralyzing. Leaders walk this tightrope every day. Effective leaders know that they must feel and create some discomfort, but if they make their colleagues too uncomfortable organizational momentum will stall. It’s not an easy balance and even the best leaders don’t always get it right.

1. Make yourself uncomfortable first. Until you have achieved personal perfection, there are plenty of opportunities. Leaders long for comfort just like every other human being on the planet. If you can find no other personal flaws, feel uncomfortable about feeling too comfortable.

2. Focus on those organizational results that are not hitting the mark. It is counterproductive to create discomfort for discomfort’s sake. It must derive from the failure to achieve meaningful goals to have significant impact. If you are consistently meeting all of your goals, you have set the bar too low.

3. Hold yourself and others accountable. Figure out who has the power to make things happen and then hold them accountable for making them happen. Since the leader is always accountable, you cannot do this successfully without holding yourself accountable.

How do you create just the right amount of discomfort in your workplace?

4 Comments
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4 Comments

  1. Vicki Noel  •  Mar 21, 2010 @7:12 pm

    Like you had said…I love to complete a project. That space before moving on to the next hurdle is VERY attractive and it could be addicting resting on that laurel of completion. I ask myself often “now what?” or “what’s next?” just to keep moving forward. The colleagues I work with are used to this now to the point that they hold their hand up when I ask as they know what is coming. I try to use good humored “pushing” with simple questioning and if things don’t start moving, then I try to have some more focused conversations. This is my style and it works for me.

  2. Kendall L. Stewart  •  Mar 21, 2010 @7:59 pm

    Vicki, I agree that the inclination to coast after an accomplishment is universal–and intoxicating.
    I seek to savor the moment while realizing it is only a moment.
    Your determination to push on quickly is a competitive advantage as a leader.

  3. stonej  •  Mar 29, 2010 @2:37 pm

    Making myself uncomfortable is no problem, it’s a everyday challenge for me to ask myself if I am making the best decision, setting the right priorities, and not dropping the ball on something important. Making others uncomfortable is where I struggle. I just want to fall into that comfortable role of being the peace maker and “take care” of everyone or everything instead of challenging others to step up. That’s probably where I falter the most, and must have something to do with the nurse part of me as a caregiver. Just recognizing it helps. I need to have some more “focused” conversations as Vicki put it.

  4. Kendall L. Stewart  •  Mar 31, 2010 @8:07 pm

    Jone, you are not alone.
    We all want to make others feel good.
    Inspiring others is critical to performance too.
    Our tendency to coast is the greatest danger in my view.
    Creating just the right amount of discomfort–but not too much–is a huge challenge.
    No one gets it right every time.

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