When I’m posting this, the holidays are upon us. But among all the cheer, you may still be thinking about the decorations coming down, inboxes filling back up, and easing back into the rhythms of work and life. The turn of the year has a way of creating both distance and clarity. Enough space to breathe, I hope. Enough quiet to ask better questions, at least for a week or two before the hustle returns. 

A couple of weeks ago, before the year officially closed, we wrapped up our final Board of Advisors meeting. We were looking ahead and thinking strategically about 2026 when one question slowed the room and shifted the conversation. 

What does the world need right now? 

Not what feels safest. Not what is easiest. Not what helps us avoid conflict. What does the world actually need? 

It is a harder question than it sounds because it does not allow us to stay abstract or comfortable. It asks us to pay attention to the moment we are in, the tensions we are carrying, and the responsibility we hold as leaders and community builders. And if I am honest, the answer that keeps surfacing is not comfort or certainty. 

We are living in a time defined by complexity. Many of us feel pulled toward our corners, toward voices that affirm what we already believe, toward spaces that feel predictable and safe. That impulse is human. It is also limiting. What the world needs right now is curiosity. 

Not curiosity as a personality trait, but as a practice. The discipline of asking questions when our instinct is to defend. The willingness to stay open when something feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar.  

During that Board conversation, we found ourselves wondering about the role of spaces like Purpose Hours in this moment. What would it look like to intentionally bring multiple viewpoints together? What would it require of us to stay present with tension rather than rushing to resolve it or avoid it altogether? 

There is a concept from adaptive leadership that feels especially relevant right now, productive heat. Too little heat and nothing changes. Too much heat and people shut down or walk away. The work is learning how to stay in the middle. 

Curiosity and multiple perspective taking are not just civic virtues. They are also good business. At a previous stop with Kansas Leadership, we partnered with Kansas State University during the early months of Covid to conduct a literature research study on organizational resilience. Like many organizations at the time, we suddenly had more questions than answers and, unexpectedly, a little more time to reflect. We wanted to understand what allowed some organizations to adapt and endure under real pressure while others fractured. 

The research surfaced several contributing factors, but one stood out clearly. Organizations that are resilient when the outside world puts pressure on them have been practicing for that moment long before a crisis arrives. The phrase that emerged from the research was this: resilient organizations evoke small-scale disturbances. In other words, the healthiest organizational cultures do not avoid tension. They create room for it in manageable, intentional ways. 

These are cultures that elevate diverse perspectives, encourage debate, and invite disagreement without making it personal or punitive. They build muscles for staying in the heat by practicing internally. They learn how to have hard conversations, listen across differences, and move forward together. When disruption comes from the outside, they are not encountering discomfort for the first time. They have already learned how to hold it. 

At CiviCO from Omni, we talk often about HEART level leadership. Humble. Engaged. Authentic. Regenerative. True to Service. These values are not aspirational words reserved for calm seasons. They are choices we make when things feel uncertain, and stakes feel high. 

Humility asks us to admit we do not have the full picture. Engagement calls us to stay present instead of checking out. Authenticity invites us to name what we are actually carrying: hope, grief, fatigue, resolve. Regeneration reminds us that leadership should restore and renew, not just demand. Being True to Service anchors us to something larger than our own certainty. 

Living these values does not spare us from discomfort. Often it leads us straight into it. But it also offers a way forward rooted in relationships rather than reaction. Hannah Arendt once wrote that action without thought is dangerous but thought without action is sterile. This moment asks us to hold both. Deep reflection and courageous action. Purpose over impulse. 

As we begin this new year, my hope is not that things suddenly feel simpler or calmer. My hope is that we become braver. More curious. More willing to stay in the room when it would be easier to retreat. The world does not need perfect leaders right now. It needs present ones. Leaders willing to ask hard questions, hold tension with care, and show up with heart. 

Can we lean into discomfort without losing our humanity? Can we grow together rather than drift apart? Can we live our values when it matters most? 

I believe we can. As the year opens, may we choose curiosity over certainty, connection over caricature, and purpose over comfort. Let us make the heat productive. Let us lead from the heart. Let us grow together into what this moment is asking of us.