The Importance of Being Comfortable with Discomfort
When I asked Meghan Rehbein, Dean at Douglass, to share a lesson from her journey so far, this is what she said: “It’s uncomfortable being uncomfortable. But if you’re really going to grow into leadership roles, being comfortable in that discomfort is one of the best skills you can develop.”
“I try to help my students understand this. I’m not talking about things that go against your values and make you uncomfortable. It’s about taking on something new and figuring out how you’re going to accomplish it.”
“I recently finished my doctorate with research focusing on women who attained CEO roles in nonprofit organizations. What I learned was that many of these women went out of their way to look for challenging roles or roles that would challenge them – projects outside their fields, something on paper they didn’t look qualified to do or hadn’t done before. That’s how they built this successful career leading billion-dollar nonprofits.”
“That’s been my experience, too. I spent most of my career in fundraising and nonprofit management. During the pandemic, I shifted into a Chief of Staff role in higher education. Now, I’m Interim Dean at a women’s college. This role is stretching me in ways I’ve never stretched before. While all of my experience up to this point is helping navigate it, I can already see how I'm growing and the changes in myself.”
“I had seen some of Alissa's photos on LinkedIn and that’s how I connected with her. I wanted a headshot that captured the growth I’ve experienced in this new, challenging role. Alissa did just that. I haven't had a picture that captures how I felt the way her pictures do. I was so impressed by Alissa’s work and appreciate her.”
Thank you, Meghan, for the incredible honor of capturing this step in your journey. You’re so right. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is one of the best skills we can develop.