Successful Startup 101: September 2014 Successful Startup 101: September 2014 | Page 47

2. ADVERSITY
The #1 roadblock to change is not addressing the areas of conflict or
adversity that are critical to success. I’ve found that teams have extreme
difficulty separating issues from individuals and stepping into the areas
they fear may offend others. This is especially true the higher you go in an
organization where adversity-laced conflict is talked about in the hall or at
the bar, instead of as a team that must change to truly address the challenge.
Research shows that adversity is one of the most critical ingredients for
personal and team growth. As adversity and conflict go away, people stop
growing and begin a slow decline in capability. The goal is to hug adversity
and embrace conflict to promote true change leadership.

3. DISCOMFORT
You can’t lead if you are comfortable.
Humility, vulnerability, and discomfort are
the traits of change leadership. So how do
we get comfortable with discomfort and
realize that feeling like a dumbass can be the example
of leading change? The secret is to create a new mindset
that helps people feel and know they should not flee the
discomfort, but see it as a sign of genuine leadership.
Hug the indignity. Celebrate the clumsy. And remember
the mindset that change is beginning again.
All three bandits – the “Other Guy,” “Adversity,” and
“Discomfort” – must all be addressed in order to build
and create a business for the future that is compelling
and worth the risk.

About the Author
Jim Haudan is a different kind of CEO, with a passion that goes beyond leading Root to success. For more than 20
years, he has been helping organizations unleash hidden potential by fully engaging their people to deliver on
the strategies of the business. With his background as a coach, it’s not a stretch that the company Jim co-founded
focuses on tapping employees’ discretionary efforts – the kind that produces winning results.
Jim is a frequent speaker on leadership alignment, strategy execution, employee engagement, business
transformation, change management, and accelerated learning. He has spoken at TEDx BGSU, the Conference
Board events, and numerous client meetings. He also contributes regularly to business publications and blogs. He
lives in Sylvania with his wife, Michelle. They have three children, Brad, Brooke, and Blake. When he’s not traveling
the globe visiting clients, he enjoys relaxing with his family at their lake cottage, golfing, fishing, photography, and
attending Jimmy Buffett concerts.