How often do you step out of your comfort zone? For many people, being comfortable with discomfort can cause a lot of anxiety. However, the more you try to get out of your comfort zone, the easier it will be to do so. The end result is being able to take on new challenges and achieve things you never knew you could, both in our personal and professional lives.
As a leader, it’s important to recognize when your team is becoming complacent and needs to be challenged to get out of their comfort zone. Employees need to be reminded that if they sit back and play it safe all the time, they will never grow, remain competitive, and possibly not get promoted. It definitely helps to get out of an environment that is too comfortable if employees feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. So if your company has a lot of growth opportunities or incentives to reach new personal and team goals, you can use these as a way to overcome complacency.
When thinking about ways to challenge your team, remember that everyone’s comfort zone is different. You will need to spend some time working with each of your team members to learn what each person is truly capable of when they leave their “safe” environment. Start with small steps to see who is very hesitant and who is ready to move on. Be prepared to answer the question: “We’ve always done it this way, so why do we have to change it?”
Brainstorming and making sure your team knows they can think outside the box is a great way to start getting them out of their comfort zone. If you have a diverse team with different profiles and mindsets, they can brainstorm and discover new perspectives. Make sure differences of opinion don’t get heated, but instead learn to disagree in a healthy and constructive way. This can lead to new product ideas or improvements to current processes. Making mistakes is a key part of growing up, so you’ll need to remind them of this to maintain a positive work environment. As has been said many times “your last mistake is your best teacher”.
The search for new knowledge is a critical component of coping with complacency. Encourage your employees to learn about a variety of topics. If your company allows it, invest in courses they can take to help them with their professional growth, and possibly set aside time each day for each person to study a new topic and then report back to the team. Keeping your team away from a learning environment will help spark new ideas and ultimately new opportunities for growth. This will ensure that you and your team are always challenged to step out of your comfort zones!