If you’re not comfortable with change, you’ll never be able to lead. I’m not sure exactly where the idea that leadership was about perfecting systems and driving toward predictable experiences originated. That’s what I call management.

And while some people use the words management and leadership interchangeably, they are two entirely different things.

Management is about perfecting what already exists. It’s about using reports to ensure the current systems, processes and procedures are driving toward and improving upon what is already known.

Managers don’t typically like change because it disrupts what has already been decided. Most managers would perceive any change as high risk and unlikely to deliver results so good that adjustments in the current norm would be required.

Leadership, on the other hand, is always in pursuit of the next gap or opportunity. Leaders are always looking ahead and, by definition, going into places and spaces they have never been before. While they often rely on past experiences to interpret what they are currently experiencing, keeping things the same is rarely an aspiration for most leaders.

If you’re not changing, it’s a signal to the leader you’re not thinking big enough.

Change is even built into our biology. One of the signs of life is that cells are multiplying. When that stops happening or happens at an irregular rate in any part of our body, it’s a sign that something is off and requires further attention. Growth and multiplication are part of what makes life possible.

One Constant: Change

In today’s climate, there is one thing you can count on: change. Technology, growth and globalization consistently push back the boundaries of what seems possible.

Whether it’s how a professor teaches in the classroom or how we order our eyeglasses, there seems to be an infinite number of options to accomplish the things we do on a regular basis. That will either throw you into a state of fear or excitement. And depending on which category you find yourself in, it will tell you a lot about whether you are a leader or a manager.

Growth and multiplication are part of what makes life possible.

Each is an important role, but the two have very different functions.

Change is a huge opportunity for leaders. It offers a backdrop to communicate, clarify and commit to bringing about breakthrough change. If done well, you’ll be able to do and achieve even greater things than you thought possible. If you shrink back, your days as an effective leader are numbered.

Leverage the Momentum of Change to Drive You Forward

You can either be run over by change or jump on and enjoy the ride. That was the advice a mentor gave me when I was completely overwhelmed with the change ahead of me. I didn’t know what to do. I was trying to do too many things at once, but I didn’t feel completely effective at any of it.

Finally, the mentor explained I was fighting the change rather than using it to propel me forward. I had no idea what he meant, and he must have known that, too. We spent the next several months unpacking that statement. It made a world of difference in my thinking and in my confidence that the decisions being made were leading toward the desired outcomes.

It was a hard lesson to learn, but it’s one I will never forget. The speed of change requires a new set of disciplines that will guide you through the maze of options and opportunities. If you lean into it, it will work for you. If you fight it, it will ultimately run right over you.

Get Comfortable With Feeling Uncomfortable

Every time I travel, I’m amazed at just how little I need to be comfortable. With my suitcase, iPhone, and about 400 square feet, I can survive for weeks at a time. When I get home, I always feel like my house is a little bigger, and I have more than I could ever need.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not ready to sell everything and move into a tiny home. (Even if I were interested in doing that, my wife would never agree to it.) What I want to point out is that when we travel, we are forced to live within certain constraints. And those constraints force us to think intentionally about the clothes we pack and whatever else we need for the trip.

Sometimes I think our ideas about what is needed to feel comfortable in the midst of change need to be right-sized. If there were more intentionality around defining purpose and goal, it would be that much easier to travel lightly. And when you travel lightly through life, you also hold on loosely to the things you think you need to survive.

As you raise your awareness about what will be required of you to move forward, you begin to realize you already have all you need to take the next step. What’s holding you back is not supplies or even capacity; it’s your thinking about change. What’s holding you back is your commitment to forge ahead while also acknowledging the limitations of today.

If you can open your mind enough to reconsider change not as a threat to your comfortable and predictable world but as an opportunity to go on an adventure of a lifetime, then your orientation to change shifts. Instead of it being something to resist, it becomes something to embrace.

And if you’re will embrace change, you can and will become the leader you’ve always dreamed of being.