Leadership lessons from awkward places

Spent the afternoon finally processing what happened with Alex last month at the gym.

Leadership lessons from awkward places

Sometimes the most uncomfortable workplace moments end up teaching you the most about yourself.

That whole situation where he kept pushing everyone during our team training sessions? I kept thinking someone else would step in and handle it. Sarah would say something. Jake would intervene. Anyone but me. But when it finally got to the point where people were genuinely uncomfortable, I realized I was the one who needed to speak up. Not because I’m the most senior or the loudest, but because I could see what was happening and I had the relationship with Alex to address it directly.

Processing through writing. Works every time.

The weird thing is, once I actually had that conversation with him, it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as I’d built it up in my head. He listened. He adjusted his approach. The group dynamic improved immediately. All that anxiety I’d been carrying around about “confrontation” was mostly just me avoiding a straightforward professional conversation.

I guess this is what growing into leadership actually looks like - not waiting for permission or the perfect moment, but recognizing when you’re the right person to handle something and then just… handling it. Even when it feels awkward. Especially when it feels awkward.