March Monthly Wrap: Getting Out of Our Comfort Zones

Welcome to the first instalment of my new blog series, where I reflect on the previous month and share some of the themes that are common in many workplaces, lessons learned, and what’s coming up.

I want to bring these together under one unifying theme, and March got me thinking about comfort zones.

The term ‘comfort zone’ was initially coined by Alasdair White, a Business Management Theorist, in 2009. His definition of a comfort zone goes like this:

“A comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person, and they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. In this zone, a steady level of performance is possible.”

Although a comfort zone is very attractive because it reduces anxiety and stress, it doesn’t lead to the professional growth and development needed to progress positively. Getting out of our comfort zone can also be a great reminder of why we do what we do - something I learned firsthand last month!

I left my usual comfort zone and had a branding photo shoot. Inspiration and creativity flowed, cementing my passion for driving radical change in the healthcare sector. This resulted in some terrific new photos  - check out my the homepage of my website to see the outcome!

Stories From Your Workplaces

Throughout the month, many of you shared experiences with me that highlighted the power of getting out of our comfort zones.

1. Be the change.

In one of my recent newsletters I mentioned that I had been approached by an employee who wanted to know how to work on psychological safety while waiting for leaders to make changes.

Asking this question is an excellent example of self-leadership and taking ownership of the role we can all play in creating the psychologically safe workplaces we want to be a part of. 

It also takes courage to step up and accept that we might be acting in ways that are part of the problem - and that we need to become part of the solution.

2. Communicating our experiences.

A workshop participant had a great realisation that they shared - “If I'm thinking it, someone else is probably thinking and feeling it - so be brave and say it out loud.”

Saying it out loud can be scary. We often worry that the things we’re concerned about aren’t ‘that big a deal’ or that we might be seen as making mountains out of molehills, so to speak!

Being brave and speaking out, in my experience, should lead to one of two outcomes: others will feel the same and join you in finding solutions, or they’ll understand you better and provide support or reassurance. Either way, you should feel heard and supported.

3. Empowering feedback.

“Michelle’s training reignited my love of learning and shifted my focus to concentrate on strengths to assist my team to grow. “ 

Feedback like this is so empowering and appreciated. It’s very rewarding to hear that workshop participants are finding ways to add significant value to their own skills and wisdom and to that of their colleagues.  

Does this feedback speak to you? Find out more about working with me and my bespoke programs here, - or reach out for a chat to see how we might be able to work together.

4. Celebrating diversity. 

Not quite getting out of my ‘comfort zone’ - but definitely worth showcasing was attending the opening night of the fantastic musical, &Juliet. To experience a packed Melbourne theatre, celebrating diversity reflected in the stories and cast brought me immense joy and hope.

I’m thrilled that shows like this allow us to see an incredibly talented and passionate group of performers reflect aspects of ourselves: diversity in colour, race, gender, sexuality, age and size.

I was blessed to attend opening night because my son has been involved in the production. After the show, I told him I wanted to take him to see theatre like that when he was young, but 25 years ago, that didn’t exist. We’re both thrilled that now young people especially can see reflections of themselves on stage.

If you’re Melbourne-based, the show is well worth seeing and lottery tickets are available for every performance.

My Key Lesson From March

My key lesson (or reminder!) from March is the importance and value of consciously stepping away from our comfort zone - and all the great things that can happen if we do.

Did you get out of your comfort zone in March? What did that involve, and what was the outcome?

Or perhaps you had a different learning from the month.

It’s easy to focus on everything that needs to get done and forget to appreciate everything that’s been achieved. I’ll aim to do one of these at the end of each month and encourage you to do the same if you think it would be helpful to see how far you’ve come each month.

I’ll leave you with this great article about what science says about comfort zones and learning. Happy reading!