Important to understand that each person’s comfort zone is different.
Leaving comfort zone
Outside the Comfort Zone lies the Learning Zone. It’s considered an extension of the Comfort Zone where we are willing to experiment and change. Then, there is the Panic Zone, which contains all the aspects of our lives we are not willing to change or even discuss. The closer you are to the Panic Zone (and further away from your Comfort Zone), the more stress is generated.
Karl Rohnke has worked out a physiological model. - Comfort zone /stretch zone/panic zone.
We cannot force anyone out of their comfort zone because our natural tendency
is to return to a neutral state. It sounds confusing, isn't it?
The three zones are constantly changing and forcing oneself to stay in the learning zone is a hard task. As you operate in the learning zone (Stretch), you will get more comfortable with the current skills and they’ll start to move back into the comfort zone.
Moreover, as this happens, tasks that were once a part of the panic zone will move into the learning zone and the cycle will continue.
So, in other words, you ultimately return to the comfort zone because when you want more, you have to leave your previous comfort zone for good. And now, attaining the full scope of your dreams, this will then be your new comfort zone. The cycle is dynamic.
As an example, when you do something totally new that is beyond the learning zone this puts you in the panic zone. But trying to figure out how to deal with it you take a step back into the learning zone. Eventually, this leads to taking on new skills, thus transitioning you from the panic zone to the learning zone and after deliberate practice into the comfort zone.
Being aware of these changes will help you stick to the learning zone through the transitions. The three zones can apply to everything, even physical activities. In fitness, doing the same routine exercises will not lead to muscle growth (comfort zone) and it’s not until a new challenge is sought (learning zone) do the muscles have a chance to grow further. And if you'll put yourself in overload situation (panic zone) you'll likely burn out in the gym.
To be in the panic zone for short time sometimes is necessary, especially when you start working on something completely new for you, but gradually you need to be talked down into the learning zone before you can actually acquire the skills. The same analogy we can apply for aircraft take-off. During this flight stage, the engines work on maximum power, but once the plane reaches out a certain altitude, the power should be reduced; otherwise, it can lead to an engine overheat and damage. Identifying what zone you are in and making the necessary adjustments to be in the learning zone will mean consistent progress and growth.
STAYING IN THE LEARNING ZONE
Start with small steps and then dive in
“Getting out of your comfort zone is giving yourself the opportunity to grow, learn and expand your professional expertise,”
To illustrate it let's look at a fairly common situation: you want to expand your network, but don’t like talking to strangers, or talking in public.
In order to overcome situations that prevent this kind of growth, first of all, we must be honest with ourselves and think of the excuses we’ve used to remain in the comfort zone.
There is always a way to make the tasks that we are afraid of doing easier to accomplish. If you hate talking in public or at events, but feel a little more comfortable in small groups, look for opportunities to speak to smaller groups. Instead of jumping straight into a big event or a meeting with senior executives, start by speaking in smaller meetings to get an idea of what your fears are.
Another tip is to look for a friend, colleague or mentor who can offer advice and encouragement. Someone who stands by as supporter and can help you do deal with challenging situations.
Get Informed
Lack of knowledge and lack of skills are some of the main factors that give us a false sense of security.
Let me point out that the comfort zone is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s there to protect us, especially from more stress and anxiety. The problem happens when we stay in it for too long because that’s what keeps us from learning and experiencing new things.
But sometimes change can bring employees discomfort and lead them directly into the Panic Zone (for example having to do a work that they are not skilled enough and tend to feel “not ready”).
Management is responsible for providing the correct information, training and/or guidance to cope with the change. As a leader, helping your team members develop new skills can bring many benefits such as better work results and greater commitment. This will lead to employees’ gradual transition from their Comfort Zone to Learning Zone and in the expansion of the latter.
Set the Milestones
Sometimes your work won’t get you the results you’ve expected, it can ultimately get to the state of disappointment or stress which can put into the panic zone. If you only have two possible scenarios – failure or success – with no in-between status, you may get demotivated if all the work you invested was “all for nothing” in the case you don’t reach your goal.
This is why milestones are important. Break your objective into a couple of phases - milestones, so you can pin down needed improvements and also use your achievements for motivation even if you don’t succeed reaching 100% of your goal. Not breaking your goal down prevents you from knowing to what extent the milestone is reached and most importantly – what needs fixing! More important even in the case of failure, you will not slide into the Panic Zone.
Don’t let the fear keep you from growing! Let go of your expectations and accept the results of your actions. Each loss will teach you how to accept the circumstances and help you be better the next time.
Leading Employees Step Out Of Their Comfort Zones
As a manager, it can be a challenge to motivate employees to do things differently, particularly if they’ve been in the workplace for some time and have a “we’ve always done it this way” mindset.
The key to success is to help your employees shed this inertia and branch out for success. Leaders, employees, and companies no longer have the luxury of riding on yesterday’s achievements. Stepping out of the comfort zone is now mandatory for business success.
First, you’ll need to determine what your employee’s comfort zone is. What’s the best way to determine someone’s comfort zone? Observe and Listen!
1. Help the Employee Determine the “Why.”
In order for an employee to break through their comfort zone, the desire to change has got to be greater than the fear of change. There needs to be a strong “why” before change happens.
Your role is to persuade employees that the short-term “pain” of doing something uncomfortable is worth the long-term “gain” of attaining a goal.
And you should have a system in place to reward those who stretch their limits.
2. Art of small steps.
Executives sometimes try to dramatically change the way people do things, but this approach is often ineffective due to the natural employees' tendency to avoid any changes.
For instance: don’t put a self-conscious speaker on the spot of the companies leader conference. Instead, start by encouraging them to step by step hone a craft of the public speaking, and then having them speak regularly initially at company local meetings or seminars of 4-5 people.
3. Provide a Support System
Demonstrate the benefits of working outside the comfort zone, you’ll need to personally show by example by having the courage to obliterate your own comfort zone.
By encouraging employees to crush their fears and exit their comfort zones, you will be the type of leader that not only retains top employees but also achieves the positive ROI that only exists when people are encouraged to push their personal boundaries.
The challenge for the leader is to guide the employees on the way to the stretching zone.
It can be tricky to remain in the optimum stretch zone. Too little challenge and nothing happens. Too much, and you’ll give up. It’s a very fine line, but get it right and this is where the magic happens.
If a person steps beyond the optimum performance zone they enter a “danger zone” in which performance will decline rapidly as higher levels of anxiety or discomfort occur.
The objective of the leader is to cause the employees to enter the optimum performance zone for a sufficient period of time so that new skills and performance can be achieved and become embedded.
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