Yes, of course. Being a change leader is not easy. If you try to initiate or implement change, you may have your employees or colleagues blaming you for all their problems. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.
As you know, as a change leader, you don’t spend your evenings thinking of ways to make your employees miserable. And you don’t choose to change things just for the heck of it. The changing world forces you and your organization to change, but you still get blamed if you’re a change leader.
So don’t expect to feel comfortable if you’re leading change. As I tell my audiences, “Recognize that every ‘out front’ maneuver you make is going to be lonely. If you feel entirely comfortable, then you’re not far enough ahead to do any good. That warm sense of everything going well is usually the body temperature at the center of the herd.”
To help you live with the discomfort of change leadership, you need to remind yourself that your role as a change leader is vitally important these days. With the world in chaos, you’ve got more than a job to perform. YOU’VE GOT A CALLING TO FULFILL. As Jane Addams wrote long ago, “What after all has maintained the human race on this old globe, despite all the calamities of nature and all the tragic failings of mankind, if not faith in new possibilities and people who advocate them.”