Leadership comfort or leadership challenge?

In my leadership experience, I have often heard statements like:

1.     That would take me out of my comfort zone

2.     I don’t feel comfortable with that

3.     I’m comfortable with where I am

4.     I feel uncomfortable with this new challenge and the cost involved

It seems that the end game for lots of leaders is being, and feeling, comfortable in their roles and responsibilities; not a good thing!

What’s the difference between being comfortable and being content? Can you be uncomfortable and biblically content?  Here are some thoughts adapted from the book, “Burn Your Goals” by Joshua Medcalf and Jamie Gilbert that hopefully will give all of us pause to think.

We can pursue comfortable which very likely will result in average work that will not grow or challenge us and thereby will not honor God

Being comfortable in your current situation may cause you to complain instead of taking initiative to change things

Can you remain comfortable and still pursue excellence? Probably not! Pursuing excellence will always entail a certain amount of being uncomfortable

Being too comfortable will lead to inactivity

Comfortable is easy, but not always good

Comfortable will never stretch you to grow. 

Comfortable is rarely grateful; desiring more or different but being unwilling to go after it or paying the price of being uncomfortable 

Comfortable is complacent and will lead to stagnation

Comfortable is your biggest enemy that wars against your greatest potential.

There is a big difference between comfortable and being content. Content is biblical, comfortable is definitely not.

Contentment brings peace and joy where you are right now.

Contentment is gratitude and gratefulness for who you are, where you are and what you can do. Do what you can with what you have where you are and experience both appropriate discomfort but biblical contentment

 Contentment will help you attract more resources and people to help make you a better person and a better leader

Learn to be content in all circumstances. Avoid being comfortable in any circumstance.

Comfortable is not your friend.