The Warhead Challenge: A Leadership Lesson in Pushing Through Discomfort

Ashley Kellish, DNP, RN, CCNS, NEA-BC

Written with special thanks and to Ms. Betsy Giduz, MSW, LCSW and Ms. Eloise Kellish

Leadership is often described with stories of inspiration, innovation, and success. Though, we all know it is full of uncomfortable, sour moments before the rewards of growth and progress emerge.

Recently, my 10-year-old daughter and I participated in a Warhead Challenge with her therapist, Ms. Betsy Giduz, MSN, LCSW (www.betsygiduz.com). If you’ve ever had a Warhead candy, you know exactly what I’m talking about—there is an intense blast of sourness that forces you to push through before the sweetness finally kicks in. Eyes water, mouth puckers, and if you were me, you really, really wanted to spit out this awful candy early into the experience.

This simple but powerful exercise from the thought-provoking Ms. Giduz became a metaphor for grit for my daughter: a lesson that if you can hold on through uncomfortable moments in life, there is joy or sweetness on the other side. As a young girl who grew up during the Covid pandemic and is working hard to manage today’s incredible challenges across school, society, social media, and so on, this experience gave her something incredibly tangible to work with. Now, when we describe moments she can “push through” she has an experience to recall where she did just that. It also showed me a powerful way to demonstrate to adults struggling with the same inability to move towards challenges, a reminder that they can.

Eat the Warhead

Every leader faces difficult moments including hard decisions, issues across teams, and challenges that feel overwhelmingly bitter. You know it happens when you get that funny feeling in your chest, maybe your face gets hot and red or your heart starts racing. These physical manifestations of situational anxiety are no different than what my 10-year-old experiences before engaging in a new event that we want her to “push through” and ultimately grow from or enjoy.

As adults, though, we have more power to give in to these feelings and choose our experiences; it’s easy to quit in these moments and to avoid the discomfort. It is easy to spit out the Warhead. We delay tough conversations, delete controversial emails, hold back from posing a question or sharing that “crazy” new idea. This avoidance and quitting ultimately holds us and our teams back from accountability, growth, innovation, and productivity. I have found through each one of these uncomfortable moments, and just like with the Warhead, if you stick with it, the sour intensity fades, and something good emerges on the other side.

Evidence-Based Lessons from the Warhead Challenge for Leaders

💥 Discomfort is Temporary – Research from the University of California found that the average negative emotional response to workplace challenges peaks at 90 seconds, then begins to subside if we don’t actively feed it. When challenges feel unbearable, remember that they won’t last forever. Anchor yourself in a moment when the challenge will be over to push through.

💥 Grit Predicts Success – University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth’s landmark research on grit found that perseverance and passion for long-term goals is a better predictor of success than IQ or talent. Her studies across multiple domains—from West Point cadets to National Spelling Bee contestants—demonstrated that individuals who demonstrated high levels of grit were significantly more likely to achieve their goals despite setbacks.

💥 Pushing Through Builds Strength – A 2022 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology demonstrated that leaders who navigated significant organizational challenges showed measurably higher resilience scores and decision-making capabilities afterward. Just like tolerating the sour part of a Warhead, enduring tough moments makes you stronger and better prepared for the future. The more you practice it, the easier it becomes.

💥 Growth Lies Beyond Discomfort – Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset confirms that embracing challenges rather than avoiding them is directly correlated with greater achievement and leadership development. On the other side of discomfort is measurable progress. Eat the Warhead.

💥 Lead by Example – According to research by Gallup, teams with leaders who model resilience during difficult periods report 37% higher engagement and 22% higher productivity than those whose leaders avoid challenges. When you eat the Warhead, your team will, too.

How to Apply This to Leadership

1. Recognize Discomfort as Growth – The American Psychological Association’s research on post-traumatic growth shows that 60-70% of people report positive changes following difficult experiences. Instead of resisting challenges, lean into them knowing they are part of the process.
2. Develop Grit Through Practice – Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that grit can be developed through deliberate practice and exposure to increasingly difficult challenges. Leaders who intentionally put themselves in uncomfortable situations showed measurable increases in perseverance over time.
3. Support Your Team Through Sour Moments – A Harvard Business Review study found that teams that received structured support during organizational challenges were 4x more likely to maintain performance levels than those who didn’t. Encourage your team to push forward in difficult times.
4. Trust That the Sweetness is Coming – Research from the Center for Creative Leadership shows that 94% of executives credit their most significant leadership growth to navigating challenging situations. Success, clarity, and confidence come after the hard work is done.

Final Thoughts

The next time you’re faced with a leadership challenge, grab a Warhead—keep a stash in your desk drawer. The evidence confirms what that sour candy taught us: Hold on, push through, and trust that something great is on the other side.

Shortly after this challenge with Ms. Betsy, my daughter had to attend a new educational program. She was so nervous and did not want to go. I reminded her of eating the Warhead and told her to think about the fun she will have once she overcomes the uncomfortable feelings she was facing. She went, she loved it, and she wants to go back. I am indebted to people like Betsy Giduz who help us use simple tactics to face life’s biggest hurdles. As for me, I’m committed to “eating the Warhead” whenever challenges arise-though I’ll channel the metaphor more often than subjecting my tastebuds to that delightfully torturous candy on a regular basis!

I’d love to hear your experiences with pushing through leadership discomfort in the comments below! What is the last Warhead you ate? Did you ultimately succeed?

Further Reading

If you’re interested in diving deeper into the research behind resilience, grit, and leadership growth through challenges, here are some excellent resources:

• Duckworth, A. (2018). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner. – Groundbreaking research on how grit is a stronger predictor of success than talent or IQ, with practical strategies for developing this trait.
• Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books. – Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s seminal work on growth mindset and how embracing challenges leads to greater achievement.
• Brown, B. (2018). Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Random House. – Explores vulnerability and courage in leadership contexts.
• Duckworth, A. L., & Eskreis-Winkler, L. (2015). “Grit, perseverance, and the path to excellence.” The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. – Comprehensive academic review of grit research and its applications in various contexts.
• Rock, D. (2009). Your Brain at Work. HarperCollins. – Neuroscience-based insights into how our brains respond to workplace challenges and how to manage those responses.
• Achor, S. (2018). Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being. Currency. – Research on resilience and how positive outcomes follow difficult experiences.
• Center for Creative Leadership. (2020). Resilience in Times of Crisis: Leadership Development Insights. CCL Press. – Evidence-based strategies for developing leadership resilience.
• Harvard Business Review. (2023). HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Organizational Resilience. Harvard Business Review Press. – Collection of research-backed articles on building resilient teams and organizations.