Video Transcription:

The “U” in my Wake Up framework is about doing the uncomfortable work and dealing with the unknown.

Learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable can be hard, and facing the unknown and embracing all the uncertainty of all of it is scary.

Me and my hubby are currently packing up to move in a couple of weeks. I have been very comfortable here. I mean, look, leaving all of this behind was a hard decision to make. We had many uncomfortable conversations about leaping into the unknown and throwing ourselves back into the chaos of new construction and building a new home. Shifting our focus from what we were leaving behind to the benefits of what we could gain really helped us take the leap to sell the house and act on moving toward what really mattered most to us in our desired future.

We are intentionally designing the next phase of our lives around more freedom. Freedom of time, less maintenance, money, downsizing, variety of locations, new places to explore new people to meet, and not to mention opening ourselves up to the limitless possibilities of all the unknowns that we’re yet to discover by moving to a new place.

Whether you’re a leader who’s moving to a new job, a new company, advancing your leadership through promotion, or you’re just trying to access the courage to have an uncomfortable conversation at work. Taking a leap into the unknown is something that we all face on our leadership journey. And let’s be real, it’s far from easy. Regardless of your work and life circumstances, we still need to show up and lead with confidence so that we can help people navigate the uncertainty, and support our teams and become more comfortable with chaos. So they can adapt to the constant pace of change at work and in their own lives.

The progressive leaders I get to work with every day are stepping up to learn how to work their uncertainty muscles. By taking intentional daily leaps, they stretch their muscles so they can grow them stronger. By learning to feel the fear and just take action anyway versus waiting, worrying, and trying to figure it out. Like figuring out the unknowable in their heads all by themselves, which is not good. They can gain more practice and get better and better at leading through uncertain times.

So back to my moving story, when we choose to focus on the benefits of moving to a new place. And what we can actually gain instead of lose by creating new possibilities that the time money, location, and freedom can offer us, it became easier to let go of this very comfortable, beautiful space. So taking the risk to create something new can help us grow and move toward our desired future state as leaders. Designing your own leadership journey to intentionally build stronger muscles, and dealing with uncertainty and uncomfortable situations can really help you become more at ease amidst the chaos.

So the next time that you’re faced with the unknown or you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, remember to focus on the benefits of what you’ll gain versus the gap of what you might lose. This is how we learn to really build our leadership capacity to deal with uncertainty and lean into the uncomfortable work required to turn things around when our teams and businesses need us most. I hope this video helped you and I hope you will rise to the occasion. The next time you’re faced with an uncomfortable situation or facing the unknown. Bye for now. See you next time.