One of the joys of being a parent is watching your children perform. Whether it’s a band recital, robotics contest, theater production, or athletic contest it is exhilarating to watch them take on a challenge in a performance-based setting. Why? Performances are packed with the tension of a challenge, but the challenge comes with the risk of failure and that is uncomfortable. We spend so much of our lives avoiding discomfort that it becomes special to watch someone remain productive in the midst of discomfort. I often watch my son manage productive discomfort as a distance runner. Whether it is hours upon hours of his training sessions or the intense 25 minutes of an 8k race, he is immersed in productive discomfort daily. Recently, I was talking with my daughter, a fierce volleyball competitor, about how she embraces the challenge of being a short girl in a tall girl’s game. Her response moved me so much that I tweeted about it and now I’m thinking about how a leader can nurture this same mentality.
‘Dad, I don’t care how tall I am. I’m 6’3” in my mind. That’s what matters.’
My mind raced with all sorts of thoughts of parental pride. 'How did this happen? How did my daughter become so confident in the midst of the discomfort of a challenge? How can I repeat this? How can leaders in any industry guide their teams toward productive discomfort?
How do you nurture a love for a challenge in others?
Leaders can have an impact on how people take on productive discomfort. My doctoral study revealed that leaders who demonstrate the behaviors of a transformational leader can increase the self-efficacy (belief) of followers. A strong sense of self-efficacy correlates to working on tasks harder and longer which leads to higher levels of performance. Jim Collins in his New York Times best-seller, Good to Great, identified great organizations as being full of people who will go to great lengths to fulfill their responsibilities. But, you don’t just collect people that have this mindset, you also guide them to it.
Here are 5 ways to develop a team that loves a challenge, that embraces the discomfort of productivity.
Work together on things. Clydesdale horses are recognized because of their role in the Budweiser beer commercials during the holidays. They are a member of a category of horses known as draft horses, famous for their pulling power. Clydesdales can weigh up to one ton and can pull around 8,000 pounds. However, two of these powerful horses pulling together can pull, not 16,000 pounds, but 24,000 pounds. After being trained to pull together for a period of time, they can pull up to 32,000 pounds together. Teams of people working together can produce similar results.
Turn fails into false fails by noting what was learned. Safi Bahcall in his book, Loonshots, coins the term ‘false fails’. The term describes a variety of early failures that ultimately turned into society-changing successes. For example, Peter Thiel was one of the early investors in Facebook who turned his original $500,000 investment into a billion-dollar payout eight years later. How did he know that Facebook would work when social sites were failing at almost a monthly rate? He investigated why social sites were failing, found the trends, and decided that Mark Zuckerberg would succeed with his Facebook site because he had solved most of the thematic problems that other sites were having. The other sites were failing, but they were false fails.
Set the tone for persistence by forecasting the need for persistence. One of the oldest historical writings is the Book of Job in the Bible. In Job there is a verse that states, ‘Man is born to trouble’ (Job 5:7). Trouble, difficulty, and suffering should not catch any of us by surprise. I have found the best way to prepare people to persist through trouble is to discuss the inevitability of trouble. It is important to be hopeful so I am not suggesting a ‘doom and gloom’ version of leadership. I am suggesting savvy forecasting that includes the actionable ways a group can persist through the inevitability of trouble.
Talk about what you enjoy about the process. I coached varsity cross country for one year. It is a challenging sport, especially for newcomers. How do you make it enjoyable? There are a lot of ways, but one of them is to pause and direct the attention of the runners to the things that they enjoy. The sense of satisfaction at the conclusion of practice, the newfound respect for each other after completing a race, and the celebrating of a teammate's new personal record are all things that runners enjoy in the midst of a challenge. Do you want to know the sure sign that it's time to direct a person's attention to something they are enjoying about the process? When they smile.
Express gratitude for the extra efforts. In a productive atmosphere, showing up and doing your job is expected. But, those who put in the extra effort are the ones who will help a leader develop a culture that loves a challenge. When someone works late, shows up early, or picks up an extra responsibility grab the opportunity to express gratitude for what they have done.
Keep on keepin' on, friends!
Bonus content: Want to dig deeper on this topic? Here are a couple of resources that will help you do that - Loonshots by Safi Bahcall, Good to Great by Jim Collins, Grit by Angela Lee Duckworth
Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on relentlessly leading yourself and others well. Read about it more here. You can listen to the Bite Down and Don't Let Go podcast here!
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