Expand comfort zone, include the unfamiliar
It is a familiar story; a well-qualified and able person usually performs well at a new job and excels in his work such that he reaches peak performance levels. The natural extension of this is that he feels so comfortable in his area of work and being among known people, places and actions only enhances this feeling. So essentially in a comfort zone:
* Work is familiar and certain
* There is no threat to one's self esteem or doubts over ability to do the job
* There is a sense of belonging
But the flip side to this story is that slipping into a ‘comfort zone' can be a dangerous trend because one obviously falls into a rut that can be dangerous to one's professional and personal life too. The comfort zone may soon become a danger zone, as one gets increasingly entrenched in it. This is because when you continue to do the same things regularly and on a daily basis, your thinking also becomes rigid. One does not feel the need to learn new things and therefore does not change.
One begins to have only one perspective oblivious to the fact that there are other ways of seeing things and this inhibits creativity. When working in a comfort zone your performance declines as you become trapped in a routine and take it for granted that this will get the job done and that there is no need to explore new options. The other consequences are that one begins to fear change and any unfamiliar and new circumstances creates panic and even helplessness and under changed circumstances one's performance is bound to decline.
The answer to this problem is to be alert and not let one's performance at a job slip into a comfort zone because getting back to a peak performance level is going to be difficult. To do this we must first recognise the things that make us comfortable at work, for instance the areas of work we are good at, the people we are happy working with, and the managerial style we prefer. The next step is to identify those attributes of work that you are unfamiliar with and these include areas of work, people and even managers. Identifying these will help zero in on those factors that make you uncomfortable and these are our discomfort zones.
These discomfort zones may not be visible to us but are very much apparent to those around us. Others can easily spot those factors or situations that make you uncomfortable. It becomes more apparent when one enters into a panic mode under unfamiliar circumstances. There is stress, worry and fear. One experiences inadequacy and frustration at not being able to do the job. There is also anger and irritation at the situation and one begins to resist any kind of change.
This is not an ideal situation to be in because it denotes that you are unable to adapt to change and any alteration in circumstances unsettles you. This can affect your performance on the job and affect your career growth as well. To avoid this situation one has to develop an awareness of those thoughts, feelings and actions that are outside our comfort zone and welcome any change as an opportunity to learn and grow. Conscious efforts are needed in this direction.
When one expands the comfort zone to include the unfamiliar, we gain courage to try out new possibilities and with this exploration, learning takes place. The natural outcomes are expanding possibilities, a feeling of being in control and enhanced creativity and performance.
So expanding one's comfort zone to include the discomfort zones is necessary to adapt to change and move ahead in life.
HEMA. G
faqs@cnkonline.com
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