A common leadership axiom is leaders must become comfortable being uncomfortable. What this means is growth happens when you stretch beyond your comfort zone. Being uncomfortable is where you learn new things, have new thoughts, meet new people, and experience new things. Uncomfortable leaders get stronger, smarter, more experienced and talented.
Unfortunately, this is not the default mode for most leaders. Most leaders default to comfort, not discomfort. Becoming uncomfortable is a choice. It is a mindset. And those who make the choice to embrace being uncomfortable often rise to the top of their professions.
One such leader is Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban. I’m currently reading John Talty’s excellent book The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama’s Coach The Greatest Ever. One of the best chapters was how Coach Saban utilizes “distressed assets”. These “assets” are former head coaches, fired in fact, who he employs as analysts to assist in the program. Some of these analysts have included Butch Jones, Al Groh, Billy Napier, Bill O’Brien, and Steve Sarkisian. Most programs considered these individuals less than desirable or even radioactive. But Coach Saban was willing to take a chance on them because of Alabama’s healthy culture and they possessed skills who could help the program at an inexpensive rate.
Many leaders are insecure having a group of high capacity leaders around them. After all, how many of those individuals might want their job. They could divide allegiances, undermine authority, take credit for successes, and think they could do the job better than they could. The insecurity this breeds is why so many leaders only surround themselves with people not as talented as they are.
But not Coach Saban. Talty writes, “Saban was willing to think outside the box and hire the most veteran graduate assistant he’d ever had in Groh. That one hire forever changed how organizations look at their off-field hires and highlighted what was possible when you strived to be better rather than to be comfortable.”
The words about Coach Saban should challenge comfortable leaders. To find out if you are one, the following are ten signs you have become too comfortable as a leader:
- You only surround yourself with people less talented than you.
- You use yesterday’s solutions in an attempt to solve today’s problems.
- You avoid all forms of conflict which might challenge you and move the organization forward.
- You haven’t read a new book in months… or even years.
- All of your stories are from many years ago. You continually talk about the “good old days” rather than what is coming up.
- If you do public speaking, you continually recycle old content.
- You never visit anywhere new. There are no new experiences. “Been there, done that” is your motto.
- The status quo becomes good enough. You even consider average to be now be excellent.
- You rationalize not hitting goals.
- You no longer dream anymore. Your best days are in the past. You’re now just passing time and riding out the clock.
You don’t want to be a comfortable leader. No one wants to follow a comfortable leader. Comfortable leaders cause stagnation in the organization and frustration in their people. Follow Coach Saban’s example instead.
Think outside the box, continually look for competitive advantages, surround yourself with as many smart and talented people as possible, keep focusing on tomorrow, and always feel the best is yet to come. This mindset will prevent you from becoming too comfortable as a leader.
To order your copy of The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama’s Coach The Greatest Ever, click HERE. You will not be disappointed.
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