| As a leader you are ultimately measured on the | | | | zone from time to time? |
| results that you deliver. Delivering results in many ways | | | | Benefit 1: Provides motivation |
| comes down to: | | | | Think about it logically. Most of us are more highly |
| 1. Being crystal clear about what it is you are trying to | | | | motivated when we are taking on a brand new |
| achieve. | | | | challenge or project. Remember that feeling when you |
| 2. Taking decisions about how you are going to | | | | start a brand new job. It is risky but at the same time |
| achieve what you want to achieve. | | | | exciting. |
| 3. Breaking it down into a plan or series of steps that | | | | Benefit 2: Highly effective way of growing and |
| you will take to get you the result or results that you | | | | development |
| want. | | | | If you do a challenging case study on something like an |
| 4. Being willing to take a chance and even step outside | | | | MBA or even a leadership programme it might well be |
| of your normal area of safety or comfort zone. | | | | tough but at the same time you have no personal |
| It might take a bit of time to get clear on what you | | | | stake. If you have a personal stake you have the |
| want to achieve and to define it clearly in terms of | | | | opportunity to deliver something that will make a |
| results but ultimately you can get there. Similarly taking | | | | difference to your organisation and those who use its |
| the decisions or creating the plan is easily within the | | | | services or products while getting some great learning |
| capability or competency zone of most leaders. | | | | and development. |
| On the other hand, being bold or taking a chance by | | | | Benefit 3: You learn that few things are terminal |
| stepping out of your comfort zone is more of a | | | | If you step out of your comfort zone and take |
| challenge. There are a number of reasons for this: | | | | chances from time to time, you learn that very few of |
| 1. You might fail to deliver what you wanted. | | | | the decisions or actions that you take are life or death. |
| 2. You might feel like you are out of control. | | | | If you look at challenges through that lens it becomes |
| 3. There is a whole heap of uncertainty or the | | | | much easier to step out of your comfort zone. |
| unknown that you have to get comfortable with. | | | | Benefit 4: You set yourself up for future success |
| 4. There are consequences if you try to do something | | | | The current economic climate will in many ways sort |
| that is viewed as slightly risky and does not work out. | | | | out the real leaders from those in the supporting cast. |
| Add to the above the fact that we are in tough | | | | If you can demonstrate that you can achieve results |
| economic times it is all too easy to just play it safe. So | | | | even in challenging times you will be laying strong |
| what are the benefits of stepping out of your comfort | | | | foundations for future success. |