Harnessing Paradox: How To Lead With Confidence Amidst Competing Calls for

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by Dr. Laurie Remedy, CEO of Revolutionary Connections and creator of “Main with out Concern“

In the present day’s enterprise panorama is busy, quickly evolving, and constantly pulls leaders in opposing instructions. Fashionable enterprise leaders should be capable to pivot shortly and modify to no matter is thrown at them , which may result in weakened confidence and burnout in lots of circumstances.

Putting a steadiness between innovation and stability, velocity and high quality, and their particular person wants and organizational priorities is a essential success issue. These are usually not outlying points, however modern-day paradoxes that each one leaders should grapple with. Embracing the paradox that lies inside management is a pathway to final success in your management position.

Why paradox is pure and crucial Organizations are dynamic, multifaceted locations that require many layers to function effectively. When competing calls for on management exist, paradoxes are sure to come up.

For instance, good leaders have to be globally minded but regionally centered , or they should handle construction whereas sustaining flexibility — components that allow them to handle each extremes and make the most of them to strengthen their organizations. These seeming polarities fill a pacesetter’s world, and the complexity of the problems is increasing.

Fairly than resisting the paradoxes that exist inside management roles, leaders ought to lean into them and harness the facility of having the ability to juggle competing calls for. Solely by constructing a robust basis the place one can embrace paradoxes can one grow to be an efficient, change-making chief. This management functionality additionally permits extra complete and systemic decision-making.

By shifting one’s mindset round paradoxes, the multifaceted nature of 1’s place turns into much less of a burden and extra of a pure a part of any management position.

From competing calls for to alternatives for development A really efficient chief is aware of find out how to leverage the paradoxes they face and switch them into alternatives for development and innovation. Leaders expert at this may unlock new potentialities throughout the group by anticipating paradoxes and getting ready themselves and their group to pivot as wanted.

Nice leaders can maintain area for conflicting priorities concurrently, whether or not it’s determining find out how to make a product shortly and with top quality or balancing speedy organizational scaling with sustaining strict operational requirements. Many notable enterprise leaders refuse to take an “both/or” stance on paradoxes, as a substitute adopting a “each/and” mindset that allows them to steadiness daring, modern decisions with sturdy high quality and monetary management, which is essential for long-term enterprise success.

One shining instance of the “each/and” mindset is former LEGO CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, who took over the struggling LEGO firm within the early 2000s. LEGO had been working below an “both/or” mindset for years, swinging between high quality and innovation, with neither excessive being sustainable. Knudstorp ushered in a dramatic new period for LEGO , introducing intentional steadiness between high quality and innovation, permitting LEGO to rediscover its roots that made it a family identify.

By embracing paradoxes and organizational approaches that enable for honoring various enter, sustaining high quality, and acknowledging points that should be fastened, leaders can flip doable stress into alternatives for development.

How you can have a each/and mindset and use paradoxes to your benefit Harnessing the facility of paradoxes and turning into a pacesetter who embraces the idea of “each/and” might be simpler mentioned than achieved for most individuals. Whereas not everybody has a pure capability to think about on a regular basis stressors as optimistic motivators, these in management positions ought to undertake a twin mindset.

As a substitute of compartmentalizing paradoxes, leaders ought to settle for that opposing concepts can coexist inside organizations, and that they at all times will, regardless of how arduous they attempt to separate them. Leaders additionally should be strategic with their planning, study to set clear boundaries, and acknowledge that management inside a corporation is a marathon, not a dash, requiring sustainable habits to realize success. Utilizing polarity mapping and different instruments can assist leaders in proactively navigating paradoxes and utilizing them to their benefit.

By partaking in adaptive decision-making, leaders know when to maneuver ahead towards innovation and development, and when to pause thoughtfully and take into account their subsequent strikes. An excessive amount of of 1 or the opposite can create stagnant inaction or carelessness, resulting in poor decision-making.

Leaders should additionally foster a piece setting that welcomes various viewpoints. Embracing paradoxes means discarding all-or-nothing sentiment. If a wealth of various concepts is welcomed, the optimistic advantages of paradoxes can thrive.

We live in a time of speedy change for organizations. Leaders who acknowledge the paradoxes throughout the enterprise panorama and embrace them can flip them from a possible drawback to a dynamic optimistic. By approaching management with the suitable mindset, one can lead their group ahead and grow to be a mannequin of confidence for his or her group.

<img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-67650" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" alt="Laurie Cure" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?resize=420%2C420&ssl=1 420w, https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?resize=681%2C681&ssl=1 681w, https://i0.wp.com/www.youngupstarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie-Cure.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1 720w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px"/> As seen in Quick Firm, Enterprise Insider, and BuiltIn, Dr. Laurie Remedy, Ph.D., a number one voice in feelings, concern, and psychological security, serves because the CEO of Revolutionary Connections . With a concentrate on consulting in strategic planning, organizational growth, expertise administration, and management, Dr. Remedy’s experience in change administration and tradition evolution empowers her shoppers to realize organizational success by enabling them to find and launch their human potential. She is the creator of “Main with out Concern“, a guide that addresses office concern.