Find your comfort zone
then consider its position
When asked the definition of what the term comfort zone meant, many would possibly say, Security, In control, Routine, Contentment. Taking that at face value, feeling secure and in control whilst establishing a routine you are content with doesn’t seem a bad thing. The reality is, the term comfort zone can be portrayed in both a positive and negative light, to my point, in more recent times it would seem more negatively than positively.
‘Steve’s presentation hit the spot, he quickly reached his comfort zone and showed just what a true domain knowledge holder he is’, an example of the term comfort zone viewed as a positive.
But how many of you have heard a phrase like ‘John’s not pushing himself, he seems to be stuck in his comfort zone these days’. This is certainly a negative representation.
I’m an advocate for pushing boundaries, consuming knowledge, and stepping out of your comfort zone, as daunting as that can be in some situations. However, that’s just me and each of us are different. I must say I have not always felt like that, in my early career I was less confident and unwilling at times to push myself as I do now.
Others seem to exude confidence from the beginning and will embrace change and push boundaries effortlessly as though it is part of their DNA. The point is we are all different and have different expectations or aspirations in life, which is also true with our career. Our working days will likely span 50% of our life on average, so its extremely important for the wellbeing of all of us that we contemplate and understand our own comfort zones to decide how far we want to extend them as well as it is for others to recognise them.
If writing this solely for the leadership or managerial community, perhaps the title should be changed to ‘Understand your employees comfort zone before trying to change its position’. As leaders or managers, we nurture our teams, motivate and inspire, taking them with us on the company’s journey, pushing boundaries to fuel growth and achieving success. Leaders can not do their jobs without their employees but forcing an unwilling employee out of their comfort zone simply because you need a task completed can be detrimental. Detrimental to both the individual concerned and the working relationship you have with them. In some circumstances this may progress to create a less than harmonious working environment for your team.
Don’t misunderstand me, if you have an employee who accepted a position whereby they only turned out to be comfortable with 7 out of the 10 aspects of their role you had defined from the outset with an unwillingness to carry out the remaining 3, this would lead to coaching and performance management as the employee would not be fulfilling their part of the employment contract.
As my final example, you have an employee who is good at their role, carrying out adequately the tasks assigned to them, you insist they need to give a presentation to 20 of their colleagues on a specific aspect of their job. It may seem a trivial or inconsequential request to you but to them it may trigger their worst fear, cause discontent and create problems within the working environment because to comply they would need to step out of their comfort zone, recognise and conquer a fear they are unwilling to face. Is it worth risking losing a good employee? Better to understand the individual, recognise their strengths and weaknesses and work with both.
Individuals need to consider their own capabilities and skillsets, know where they excel and just how far they want to extend or reposition their comfort zone. Speaking with their line manager during a 1-2-1 or career development review is an ideal place for an employee to discuss this. The skill for leaders is to understand their employees and not view them as a standard commodity. Recognising the differences individuals bring to a team, helping those who want to further their knowledge or career by stepping out of their zone of comfortability but just as importantly making sure those who wish to remain within it, feel recognised and valued.
Achieving the correct balance will create an environment for success, with a content workforce, proud to play their part in the company’s journey ahead.
Mike Bull
** Yeap Ltd.**