How often do you step out of your comfort zone?
In her latest article, Jo Hobbins, our co-founder, Director, and in-house Occupational Psychologist explores how stepping out of your comfort zone can be a great way to learn and grow.
Who doesn’t like being comfy? In the last few years many of us have got into the habit of being very happy to stay firmly in our comfort zones, at home, wearing more casual dress, and having less rigid daily schedules as we’ve had more time and capacity to adapt and balance our work and life commitments. Familiarity is so important for many of us as we process enough information each day to test the capacity of us all.
Capacity is a funny old term… referring to the volume which any item can hold of something.
And it’s clear that we all have very different capacities before we become full up. I like to think of us all carrying different size bags, some a handbag, some an overnight carryall, and some a suitcase. No size is better or worse, it’s just part of our journey. Someone with a bigger capacity does not mean that they are more skilled or have more capability.
Each day we are all processing millions of pieces of information that go into our bags, filling them up. Some of us have a full bag before we have even got out of bed in the morning! I may also be quite used to carrying heavy loads so my capacity may have grown, more like a weightlifter training to lift heavier and heavier weights over time. As I develop resilience, so my “bag” may become more flexible, being able to stretch to hold more.
Moreover, we have different life experiences, values, beliefs, predisposed genetics, and environmental factors which all also play their part. These all impact the way we respond to stimulus. That, layered with our different capacities, means being able to predict when people are full up, is nigh on impossible.
So, if you are a manager of a team, or need to delegate some work or tasks to someone, how are you going to decide who to give it to, who has capacity, who will it stretch and who might it send into panic?
How do you judge such a thing when there isn’t a science to it, or mathematical equation to work it out?
There are several theories around delegation and team management that can help here. One of the simplest I like to use is the Comfort Stretch Panic model, which was originally coined by Karl Rohnke regarding outside pursuits. This model was developed based on the Yerkes-Dodson law which posits that peak performance happens when people experience a moderate amount of pressure.
We all like being comfy but there is such a thing as too comfortable!
We can all identify with our comfort zone, when we are applying ourselves to certain tasks, hobbies, or our work. We know what we are doing, and there are no risks or real stress involved. We could almost do it with our eyes closed. It’s a nice feeling but imagine spending too much time always in your comfort zone. You’re not pushing yourself to learn anything new, you’re not stretching yourself. More like an elastic band not really being used to its fullest potential. Spend too much time in this zone and you will start to feel bored, complacent – and if it’s your job, this is when you may start to look around for a new one.
Stretching allows us to step beyond comfort
The stretch zone is when you are pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, taking steps beyond where everything is familiar. Stretching allows you to learn something new and push your capabilities. Like the elastic band being stretched to gather together loose pencils, it is fulfilling its purpose. Being stretched feels uncomfortable at first, and then as you get used to it, learn, become resilient and develop, it becomes your new comfort zone.
The trick is to keep pushing yourself into the stretch / learning zone without going too far so you end up in panic zone. If you stretch the elastic band too much, it will snap.
Don’t Panic!
You tend to know when you are in panic zone when you feel overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, maybe have trouble sleeping. Spend too much time in the panic zone and you will reach burn out. So, it needs to be recognised when you step into your panic zone and have a strategy of how to deal with it.
If you’re an employer and you want to keep your employees stretched, how do you do it?
Ask each of your team which zone they think they are in within their role; comfort, stretch or panic
Ask them to consider what it would take to put them in their stretch zone and identify if they need any support or training to help them get there.
Do they recognise when they go into their panic zone and ask them to consider what tactics they have to manage it / move out of it.
But always remember how individual we all are, every person will be carrying a different sized bag.
If tools like this are helpful to bring out the best in your teams and their performance, and to help keep teams motivated and retained in the business, you may wish to look into one of our Management Development Programmes.