We Need an Immediate Solution(Spoiler: No, we don’t)

“We need an immediate solution.”

That phrase shows up like a fire alarm. Usually delivered with a furrowed brow, tight jaw, and the unmistakable urgency of a human who would like their problem to be not a problem anymore.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: if there were a clean solution, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You would’ve already executed it. And we’d be on to the next thing.

So what are we actually doing here?

We’re sitting in the real work of leadership:the gray, the murky, the space between what is and what we wish was.

This is the part no one glamorizes. You won’t find it on an MBA syllabus or in the first 10 pages of a business book. But it’s the part that separates reactive managers from wise leaders.

Because most of the time, leadership is not about solving—it’s about holding.

Holding the tension between competing priorities.Holding space for uncertainty without sprinting toward control.Holding people accountable without offering them an easy out.

And yeah, it’s deeply uncomfortable.

Discomfort is the part we try to avoid with speed. We label it “urgency.” We say things like:

• “Let’s just fix it.”

• “Let’s move fast.”

• “Let’s not overthink it.”

But what we’re really saying is:I don’t want to feel this anymore.

Here’s the reframe: discomfort is not the enemy. It’s the indicator.It tells us where growth is trying to happen.It shows us the edges of our control.It reminds us we’re in something that matters.

The problem is, we treat discomfort like a disease. We want to medicate it with action, soothe it with busyness, or offload it to someone else (usually the leader).

But sometimes, the best thing a leader can do is not act—it’s to stay. Stay present. Stay curious. Stay still enough to let real clarity emerge.

So how do you lead when you’re holding?

How do you show up for your team when there’s nothing immediate to do—but a lot to feel?

You do three things:

1. Name the Emotion Out Loud

Discomfort thrives in ambiguity. It quiets when named. Say what you see:

• “This is frustrating, and it’s okay to feel that.”

• “I can sense how much pressure you’re under.”

• “This situation is exhausting and unfair, and we’re in it together.”

  
  

Naming the emotion doesn’t solve the problem, but it makes space for people to be human. That space is sacred. And rare.

2. Validate Without Fixing

You don’t need to rescue. In fact, trying to “cheer up” your team can backfire and make them feel unseen. Instead, say:

• “You’re not wrong for feeling this way.”

• “I’ve felt like that too.”

• “Let’s not rush past this just because it’s uncomfortable.”

This builds trust. It shows your team that emotions aren’t a liability—they’re information.

3. Ask Grounding, Forward-Tilting Questions

When the feelings are fully felt, then we move. But not with fake urgency—just with intention:

• “What feels hardest about this right now?”

• “What’s one part of this we can influence today?”

• “What would it look like to just hold this for a while without fixing it?”

These questions don’t bypass the pain. They walk with it. And eventually, they open up new paths that weren’t visible when panic was in the driver’s seat.

Here’s the leadership shift: Your job is not to neutralize emotion. It’s to make space for it without getting swallowed whole.

Because sometimes the work is not to fix. It’s to witness. To metabolize. To lead anyway.

May you live & LeadWell,

~E