That was me, for nearly all my career. Some leaders liked it, others not so much. And when I say not so much, I was a stressor.

And I didn’t realize it until becoming the leader myself. Don’t get me wrong, ideas are great. Having them – bringing new things to the table – amazing. I’m talking about the other side, where you challenge everything around you daily. Where you want to change processes because it makes more sense. Presenting new ways to do things. Asking for forgiveness instead of permission mentality. It’s like you’re 100% right, even if you’re not.

I see it now. It’s so disruptive. And only in reflection and all the lessons, at nearly 35, do I see it. And – feel it.

New ideas mean time spent not focusing on executing deliverables. Changing process requires mental time into the details that a leader does not usually have the bandwidth for. And dedicating mental exercise that is much better exhausted elsewhere, right?

At a certain growth phase – I imagine – the constant mental battle between you and a team member to change things when we need to do more of the things to be able to afford the time to change them – becomes a non-starter. You know? I didn’t get it.

This didn’t come to me to give advice, at least originally. It came to me in my own reflection the past couple years getting my own experience.

And I thought – holy hell.

A disruptive nightmare.

A brilliant one, but still.

So, to the 20 something’s struggling, hitting your head against the wall, wishing someone would listen, or see what you see. I promise, they want to, but the company must get from level 0-1 before you try to make 10-100 level suggestions and try to change systems so quickly. Even legacy operations cannot pivot so easily.

Be peace for your leader.

If this isn’t for you, or you can’t see it yet. There’s a different path.

Which leads me to: Small swimming pools where disruptive geniuses are set loose, but only for a short while.