I was convinced for many years that good leaders needed to understand how to alleviate tension.

I wasn’t wrong about that, just shortsighted.

Turning down the tension IS an essential part of leading a team but, in the same way your car needs a brake pedal AND an accelerator pedal, it’s only half of the equation.

Leaders must be conscious of how their people are responding to a host of inputs and know when to reduce tension, tapping the metaphorical brake pedal to ensure people don’t burn out when there is too much happening at once.

BUT, leaders must also be conscious of when to introduce tension to help their people grow.

In the same way lifting weights, playing a new piece of music, or taking a class introduces tension for the purpose of expanding one’s capabilities, leaders must be willing to allow their people to navigate tension as a means to make them impervious to that tension in the future.

The job of a leader isn’t to simply alleviate tension, it is to manage it. 

OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: Consider those on your team and identify where alleviating tension could be useful and where introducing tension could be beneficial. Someone may need your help alleviating tension in one arena while you challenge them with increased tension in another.