Culture Improvement Starts with Self-Awareness in Leadership

Change is inevitable.

In our personal lives or professional environments, we all face moments that push us into uncomfortable territory. While change can be daunting, learning how to effectively navigate uncertainty and discomfort is essential for leaders who want to grow their mindset, shift from panic to curiosity, and show up as their best selves for their teams.

Are you ready to transform your mindset on discomfort and become a stronger leader in times of change? Here are four insights to get started.

Insight #1: The Power of the Pause

When you face change, your natural instinct might be to rush right back to what’s familiar. After all, there’s comfort in your usual routines or past solutions. But instead of immediately reacting to changes or challenges, take a pause. Evaluate the situation. Consider new possibilities. By doing this, you create space for innovative decision-making and save yourself from rushing into solutions that might not be the best fit for your current struggles.

Insight #2: Reframe Fear as Curiosity

Unknown situations trigger your brain’s “fight or flight” response, which is what can make you want to retreat from challenges. But with practice and courage, you can get your brain to transform that fear into curiosity. The next time you face an unknown factor or impending change, shift your mindset. Instead of focusing on what might go wrong, ask yourself “what can I learn from this?” By making this simple shift, you’ll reframe your discomfort as an opportunity to explore, grow, and find new ways to navigate uncertain moments.

Insight #3. Use Small Wins to Build Confidence

If you struggle with big changes, start with tackling smaller and less risky unknowns. For example, you might try out a new route on your drive to work or take a new approach in a meeting. Small, everyday actions serve as practice to bigger transformations. As you conquer these smaller discomforts, you’ll build confidence and resilience, and set yourself up for success when it comes time to face bigger, more complex challenges in your manufacturing plant.

Insight #4: Use Trust to Drive Change

Leadership doesn’t stop at guiding yourself through change.

As a leader, you also need to have the tools and confidence to guide your team. In times of uncertainty, trust is one of the best tools you can have. When your team members trust you to offer support and clear communications, they are more likely to embrace changes.

As a leader, this means you need to build an environment that centers transparency, honest communications, and support for all. Through these kinds of cultural shifts, you’ll create a plant where everyone stays engaged and adaptable, even in times of great change.

Learn More on Mindfulness Manufacturing

Change isn’t easy, but you can learn more lessons and insights with Anne Bonney, a recent guest on the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast. Anne is a certified speaking professional, leadership expert, and TEDx speaker who specializes in helping leaders navigate change. In her episode, she takes a deep dive into the psychology of change and shares empowering tips manufacturing leaders can use to embrace discomfort, grow their mindset, and guide their teams through uncertain times.

Listen to Anne Bonney on Mindfulness Manufacturing here.

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

Change can be daunting, but learning how to effectively navigate uncertainty and discomfort is essential for leaders who want to grow their mindset, shift from panic to curiosity, and show up as their best selves for their team.

In this episode, take a deep dive into the psychology of change with Anne Bonney, a certified speaking professional, leadership expert, and TEDx speaker who specializes in helping leaders navigate change. She covers topics like how leaders can shift their mindset to thrive in uncertainty, how to manage the fear of the unknown, and why understanding the human brain’s reaction to change is key to effective leadership.

2:10 – Our brains react to uncertainty by triggering fear in the amygdala, but we can contradict this by shifting our thinking into the prefrontal cortex 5:35 – To cultivate curiosity and self-awareness, leaders need to embrace discomfort and aversion 7:30 – Practice getting out of your comfort zone with small, low-risk actions 10:00 – In moments of stress or uncertainty, take a pause 12:45 – With trust-based leadership, you can attract and retain Gen Z talent 16:20 – Gen Z thinks differently than other generations, so you may need to shift your thinking to meet their needs 19:15 – In times of changes, leaders need to be self-aware 21:30 – You must model the behavior you want to see in your team

Connect with Anne Bonney Visit her website Listen to her podcast Listen to her Tedx Talk Connect on LinkedIn