Leadership: the art of managing discomfort.

It has been said that time management is pain management. Because all human behavior is driven to avoid discomfort, time management - for successful people - is more about managing pain than about managing your calendar.

In other words, you plan to do the necessary things that make you successful. Even if those things are hard or cause discomfort. Entrepreneurs know this all too well.

The same is true for leadership. Great leaders are great at managing discomfort, not avoiding it. Because leadership is really about performing a series of skills that often address uncomfortable situations.

An employee doesn't finish a project on time.

A colleague mishandles a sensitive situation, then blames his team.

A looming deadline brings about demands that break the unwritten cultural rules about work-life balance.

A business partner makes a naive, but mildly offensive comment to a subordinate worker.

When these situations arise, leadership often feel like they are standing alone.

As a leader, addressing any of these situations will be uncomfortable. What do you do?

You lean into the discomfort.

To be a great leader, you'll need to get good at managing discomfort. Or at least become familiar with being uncomfortable. Then do the necessary leadership actions the situation calls for.

Others shy away. But Profound leaders take action to lead even when the situation is uncomfortable.

Leadership is hard. Yes. But you can do hard things. Set your mind to it!

Go. Be. Profound.