There was a time when business leaders wore risk like a badge of honor. When saying yes to bold ideas, untested markets and late-night grinds was the standard, not the exception. Today, comfort has quietly become the new goal.
We chase predictability, smooth quarters and “no surprises.” We call it strategy. We call it control. But here’s the truth: comfort can quietly kill everything that made you great.
Comfort is sneaky. It feels earned. It feels smart. It even disguises itself as progress. But in reality, it’s often the slowest form of decline. You do not lose your edge all at once — it fades one safe decision at a time. It starts small. You stop walking the floor as often. You rely more on dashboards than on conversations. The meetings that once challenged you start recycling last month’s talking points. You start saying “no” to ideas not because they are wrong, but because they are uncomfortable.
If that hits close to home, it should. Because comfort does not announce itself. It settles in quietly, right after success, and convinces you that playing it safe is the smartest move in the room.
But here’s the paradox: in a world changing this fast, playing it safe is the new risk.
The best leaders I have ever met share one trait: they build discomfort into their lives on purpose. They raise the bar after a big win. They take on projects that make them sweat a little. They hand off control to help others grow. They surround themselves with people who ask hard questions instead of easy ones.
In the Marine Corps, we had a saying: “Comfort is the enemy of progress.” And in leadership, that still holds true. The moment something feels easy, you have likely stopped stretching. Discomfort is not the enemy. It is the signal that growth is happening.
So ask yourself: Where have you mistaken safety for success? Where have you built walls instead of wings? And what might happen if you intentionally made yourself uncomfortable again?
Growth does not come from comfortable. It comes from stretching, straining and sometimes stumbling. Because the moment you stop challenging yourself, you stop leading and start managing.
The world does not need more managers. It needs leaders who are willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of progress. Comfort may feel like success. But it is often the moment you stop earning it. ●
Brian Krusz is CEO of CommandCORE
