Posted on Sunday, 30th August 2009 by chris wignall

When I work with young leaders we often spend some time discussing the difficulty of figuring out and finding a good context in which to lead. We spend some time exploring their personal history, a variety of profiling tools, and some sincere discussion to help identify the kinds of settings in which they can be at their best. We are trying to find a situation in which they can thrive.

Sometimes this might be mistaken as trying to make them comfortable. It isn’t.

As Seth Godin explores in another insightful post, the reason real leadership is so rare is because it is so uncomfortable.

Young leaders don’t become enthused when I talk to them about the suffering and sacrifice required of them. They don’t look forward with excitement to the painful challenges along the way. But it is something we must discuss. The simple truth is that if we aren’t prepared to overcome all kinds of resistance (internal and external) we can never become leaders of any significance.

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