The Danger of Comfort Zones

By all accounts, this summer was incredibly busy and incredibly challenging for most. Surely yours was no different. We certainly hope everyone on your team made it through safely and perhaps managed to take in some fun and relaxation along the way.

As things start slowing down a bit, it’s the ideal time to take an objective look at your operation. How are you performing? What have you excelled at? Where can you improve? What changes need to be made in order for next summer to be better than this summer?

Then dream a bit. What if your own expectations actually fall short of what is possible? What if you could accomplish 10% more? 25% more?

It’s natural to hang on to the things we’re comfortable with, but sometimes the things we love most are actually killing us. Just ask anyone who quit smoking or lost the extra weight.

Improvement doesn’t happen inside of comfort zones. Real improvement requires three basic things:

1. An honest assessment of reality.
2. A deliberate plan for change and improvement.
3. The discipline to follow that plan. 

Comfort zones are not conducive to honest assessments, plans, or discipline.

I’ve heard it said that a goal without a plan is just an idea. So true. But a plan without discipline is still just an idea. Ask anyone who hasn’t quit smoking or lost the extra weight.

So what does an honest assessment look like? Start with a couple of these questions and see where it takes you.

• What problems have you ignored over the last year that continue to inhibit your success this year?
• What obstacles, if removed or significantly diminished, would better position you to grow like you want to?
• What behaviors have you tolerated within the organization that has kept you from performing better than you have until this point?
• How would your five-year outlook change if you were able to move one of your biggest weaknesses to a strength this year?
• Where have you fallen short that you have too quickly attributed to the pandemic instead of taking responsibility internally?

The size of your organization doesn’t matter. Problems and challenges plague every organization. But growth will not happen for the big or the small until you deal with reality and correct course.

Which all begs the question…what are you waiting for?

Let’s go.