Choosing Your Hard: Florence Divet ☀️ on Proactive Leadership

In a recent LinkedIn post, Florence Divet ☀️ explores a common pitfall for leaders: the tendency to wait for crises to force their hand rather than proactively addressing difficult situations. Florence Divet ☀️ argues that this reactive approach, while seemingly safer in the short term, ultimately leads to escalated problems and stagnation.

The core of Florence Divet ☀️’s message is a call to intentionality in leadership. Instead of avoiding discomfort, leaders are encouraged to “pick their hard intentionally,” a strategy that distinguishes those who scale from those who become overwhelmed. As Florence Divet ☀️ puts it:

“We wait for the hard to hit us. And when it does, instinct whispers: → Take the shortcut. → Dodge the uncomfortable conversation. → Stick with the role even if it is draining you.”

Florence Divet ☀️ contrasts this reactive stance with the approach of high-performing leaders. These individuals, according to the post, do not shy away from difficulty but rather select their challenges strategically. This involves making tough decisions before they become crises, addressing issues before resentment builds, and either stepping up or stepping aside when necessary for the organization’s progress.

The Escalation of Avoided Difficulties

Florence Divet ☀️ emphasizes that avoiding hard conversations or difficult decisions does not make them disappear; it causes them to escalate. What might start as a minor issue can balloon into significant team chaos or personal burnout if not addressed. The post highlights that shortcuts and clinging to outdated roles can have compounding negative effects:

“Because shortcuts compound. Because avoided conversations become team chaos. Because clinging to roles you have outgrown turns you into a bottleneck.”

This escalation, Florence Divet ☀️ warns, always comes with a significant price tag, impacting team morale, productivity, and overall business growth. The leader who waits for hard to choose them, the post suggests, is destined to be exhausted and reactive.

Intentionality as the Key to Scaling

The central thesis of Florence Divet ☀️’s post is that true leadership growth and scalability come from actively choosing which challenges to face. This proactive mindset is presented as a crucial pivot that many leaders fail to embrace. It is not about eliminating struggle but about discerning which struggles are most impactful.

Choosing Your Battles

Florence Divet ☀️ outlines specific areas where choosing the hard work upfront yields significant rewards:

• For a high-performing team: Prioritize the hard work of feedback, alignment, and honest conversation.
• For business scaling: Focus on the hard work of clarity, decisive action, and accountability before seeking comfort.
• For personal growth: Embrace the hard work of reflection, facing potential embarrassment, and admitting uncertainty before seeking absolute certainty.

The post posits that this ability to choose one’s hard is more critical than IQ or experience alone. It is about identifying what is truly worth the effort and acting upon it.

“Choosing your hard is the pivot few embrace. It is not about avoiding struggle. It is about picking which battles move the needle.”

Florence Divet ☀️ provides a practical, step-by-step guide for leaders ready to adopt this intentional approach:

1. Identify your unavoidable hard and write it down plainly.
2. Intentionally pick which difficult path to tackle first and own it.
3. Practice small, daily actions, as leadership compounds through micro-actions.
4. Be vigilant against the temptation of the easy path creeping back in.
5. Name the positive impact of choosing hard, as this inspires and builds trust within the team.

By consistently choosing their hard, leaders can inspire their teams, build confidence, and foster resilience, creating a compounding positive effect. Florence Divet ☀️ concludes with a direct challenge to the reader: identify one difficult situation being avoided and take the first awkward step to address it, emphasizing that proof of action is more valuable than perfection.