When a client asked me a few years back if I could deliver a 2-day workshop on Design Thinking, I was excited but also a bit hesitant. I told my client that I had never delivered such a workshop before. I added that while my knowledge of the methodology was pretty decent, I did not have any content for such a program: not the presentation slides, not the handouts, not the workbook, not the case studies, not the activities. I knew that this was a gargantuan task and that my standing with this client would either rise or fall based on how this program turned out. I thought that my client would perhaps withdraw the request and I could breathe easily again. To my slight alarm and considerable delight, my client expressed confidence that I would do a great job and asked me, “Can you be ready to deliver this workshop in 45 days’ time?” I hid my nervousness, accepted the challenge and worked incessantly for more than a month to create a program I am happy about. The client was happy too with what I delivered and I went on to deliver this workshop in multiple countries.
The above instance is one of too-many-to-count when I experienced anxiety when facing something new. I knew that what I was feeling was normal, but also that this feeling came out of being in a ‘comfort zone’. This is a state where we maintain our performance with minimal anxiety relying on well-honed skills in familiar settings with known people. We want to remain in this zone for many reasons. As a friend remarked, fear of failure, looking bad in front of others and fear of criticism are some of the reasons we tend to remain in our comfort zone.
If you are a leader, you will want your team members to step out of their comfort zone and learn new things. What better way to motivate them than by modelling it for them? An added benefit to stepping out of your own comfort zone is that they see you asking them to do something you are quite willing to do yourself. In other words, they see you 'walk the talk'. And you will know how it feels – your empathy for them will grow and you will be better able to guide them on how to manage their anxiety.
So how can we begin to climb out of our comfort zone? Here are a few thoughts:
- Make the decision to move and grow beyond your comfort zone. Accept that initially there will be moments of discomfort and perhaps even intense ones. Tell yourself that your progress will likely be slow. Take heart that you have already done this a million times – you just don’t remember them.
- Identify what aspects of your current role sit inside your comfort zone. Identify too which aspects of your job sit outside your comfort zone and what impact they will have on your leadership role when you embrace them.
- Now try out one of these “outside-my-comfort-zone” behaviours and see what happens. You could do something you’ve not done before, for example, delegate a task to a team member, make a presentation to a large audience, enroll for a totally new skills program, start a blog or podcast, or attend a networking event. It may be a good idea to start small and with low-stakes tasks.
- Reframe any discomfort you feel now as a sign of growth and learning. Notice how the initial discomfort dissipates slowly. Use the support of a trusted friend, advisor or mentor who has navigated similar situations before. Ask for feedback and use it, knowing that no one does anything perfectly the first time.
- Observe the impact of this new behaviour on your leadership. You will gain confidence, new perspectives, empathy, and credibility. You will learn frequently that what you thought was daunting turned out to be manageable. With practice, your new behaviour will become a skill and the square-footage of your comfort zone will increase.
It is true that growth is impossible if we stay stuck in the past and keep doing things the way we always did. It is also true that our business world has only gotten more VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) than ever before – the pandemic was an extreme example. Other scenarios such as being acquired, working with a new region, or managing a new team whose expertise is outside your own, are more common, but require you no less to learn and adapt. Ultimately, we may not have a choice – if we don’t continue to relearn, evolve, adapt and innovate, we will fall behind. So, the sooner we accept the need for trying new things, the sooner we will grow.
Ironically, the ‘comfort zone’ is not a very comfortable place for some people I know, especially entrepreneurs. They feel restless if their work stops challenging them. A friend once said to me, “I wonder sometimes when I am feeling very comfy if I am aiming too low.”
How have you managed to step out of your comfort zone? What did you benefit from doing so? I’d love to hear from you.