Do I know how much challenge I want?
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Take a minute and finish this sentence – be honest!
“When I’m at work I actively enjoy being out of my comfort zone… “
Did you answer “Never”?
You may be a bit of a perfectionist at heart – you probably like to feel that you are doing a really good job at work. Possibly you worry about making mistakes, so you prefer to always ensure that you are in your comfort zone and confident in your ability. You may also feel that you work in order to live (rather than live for your work). So why wouldn’t you want to feel that you are enjoying your work, rather than taking on things that scare you? You’re opting for a mistakes-free work life. At various times of your life this is the right thing to do – particularly when you have other challenges outside of work.
The positive side is that you are likely to be a valued member of the team, because you do a really good job on familiar work. Build on this by being on the lookout for any improvements you can make; this will make people see you as committed to improvement. However, a mistake-free life isn’t really a realistic option. You need to keep fit for change, and make sure that you keep learning. Try and give a small percentage of your time, maybe 5% or so, to new projects. Ensure that you have the support you need so that if you do make a mistake, others will help you.
Did you answer “Sometimes”?
If you want to be pushed out of your comfort zone “sometimes” you run the risk of sending mixed messages to your managers. In effect you’ll be saying yes to some challenges and no to other ones – and that can be confusing. You need to be really clear in your own mind about the kind of challenges you’re looking for, and when, and be proactive about seeking them out. If people know the ways you’re happy to go out of your comfort zone, they’ll try and push the right things in your direction. People want to give you the right challenges – so help them to help you.
Did you answer “Always”?
The biggest challenge here is remembering that you also have a day job! Quite often people who love challenge take on too much. And it’s often tempting to only do the new and interesting stuff – but you’ve got to deliver well in your day job too! The positive side is that you are willing to take on difficult things that other people will run away from, and you’ll build a reputation for being a person who doesn’t shy away from stretching work. This is a good reputation to have. But you need to pace yourself. Taking too many stretching challenges at the same time is a common cause of career derailment.
For example, taking on a new team when you’ve never managed a team before can be a good challenge, but if you add in a new geography or a switch from working in Head Office to working out in the field, it can get really hard. And that could be the thing that breaks you. So make sure your eyes aren’t too big for your challenge stomach.
A practical skill you need is to get really good at time estimation – plan your day, estimate the jobs you’ll do and the time it will take – and then track what actually happens on a 15 minute basis. Write down everything you’re committed to, how long it will take, and allow at least a day a week for unexpected demands. Are you already over-committed?
Another skill lies in not committing yourself until you’ve slept on the idea and the initial excitement has worn off. Realistically – can you take this on, without failing to deliver other commitments?
TAKE AWAY
Take control to get exactly the right amount of challenge for yourself. Enjoy the positives and manage the downsides. And if you tend to avoid challenges because you beat yourself up for mistakes, remember – “Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. There is no downside.”
“When I’m at work I actively enjoy being out of my comfort zone… “
- never
- sometimes
- always
Did you answer “Never”?
You may be a bit of a perfectionist at heart – you probably like to feel that you are doing a really good job at work. Possibly you worry about making mistakes, so you prefer to always ensure that you are in your comfort zone and confident in your ability. You may also feel that you work in order to live (rather than live for your work). So why wouldn’t you want to feel that you are enjoying your work, rather than taking on things that scare you? You’re opting for a mistakes-free work life. At various times of your life this is the right thing to do – particularly when you have other challenges outside of work.
The positive side is that you are likely to be a valued member of the team, because you do a really good job on familiar work. Build on this by being on the lookout for any improvements you can make; this will make people see you as committed to improvement. However, a mistake-free life isn’t really a realistic option. You need to keep fit for change, and make sure that you keep learning. Try and give a small percentage of your time, maybe 5% or so, to new projects. Ensure that you have the support you need so that if you do make a mistake, others will help you.
Did you answer “Sometimes”?
If you want to be pushed out of your comfort zone “sometimes” you run the risk of sending mixed messages to your managers. In effect you’ll be saying yes to some challenges and no to other ones – and that can be confusing. You need to be really clear in your own mind about the kind of challenges you’re looking for, and when, and be proactive about seeking them out. If people know the ways you’re happy to go out of your comfort zone, they’ll try and push the right things in your direction. People want to give you the right challenges – so help them to help you.
Did you answer “Always”?
The biggest challenge here is remembering that you also have a day job! Quite often people who love challenge take on too much. And it’s often tempting to only do the new and interesting stuff – but you’ve got to deliver well in your day job too! The positive side is that you are willing to take on difficult things that other people will run away from, and you’ll build a reputation for being a person who doesn’t shy away from stretching work. This is a good reputation to have. But you need to pace yourself. Taking too many stretching challenges at the same time is a common cause of career derailment.
For example, taking on a new team when you’ve never managed a team before can be a good challenge, but if you add in a new geography or a switch from working in Head Office to working out in the field, it can get really hard. And that could be the thing that breaks you. So make sure your eyes aren’t too big for your challenge stomach.
A practical skill you need is to get really good at time estimation – plan your day, estimate the jobs you’ll do and the time it will take – and then track what actually happens on a 15 minute basis. Write down everything you’re committed to, how long it will take, and allow at least a day a week for unexpected demands. Are you already over-committed?
Another skill lies in not committing yourself until you’ve slept on the idea and the initial excitement has worn off. Realistically – can you take this on, without failing to deliver other commitments?
TAKE AWAY
Take control to get exactly the right amount of challenge for yourself. Enjoy the positives and manage the downsides. And if you tend to avoid challenges because you beat yourself up for mistakes, remember – “Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. There is no downside.”