We have all been there, stuck in a rut. The status quo is telling us that everything is OK. Well, it’s not OK. Welcome to the comfort zone — now get out.
Being in the Comfort Zone is like being stuck in the quicksand: flat growth, slow sales, unattainable goals, lack of inspiration, and there are always plenty of excuses why we can’t change it.
Businesses need to be growing and evolving and gaining momentum, or they die. Leaders are responsible for keeping their teams moving forward and motivated, so how do you break out of the Comfort Zone?
1. Communicate. Set clear goals, share the goals, mission, and vision. Get everyone involved and encourage communication among everyone in the company. Everyone should be able to communicate the company’s vision and mission, short and long-term goals.
2. Fail fast, fail often. Encourage the team to break the boundaries and try new ideas. Let them know it’s OK to fail and that team has their back. Mistakes will be made but learn from them, correct them, and try again. Empower everyone to be a problem solver. Create incentives for continued education and acquire new skills to bring new ideas & methods into the company.
3. Lead by example. Set the standard by being the example for your team. During a tradeshow, I was vacuuming our booth before the show opened. One of my team members commented he had never seen their CEO vacuum. CEO is Chief Everything Officer. Nothing communicates a message like action.
4. Engagement. Get the team involved and make sure they know their voice matters. Set the tone for open discourse and welcome input, and ensure they know their contribution is wanted and needed. Recognize their input and give them honest feedback.
5. Culture code. Define the culture and enable the team to propagate it. Build a culture that says it safe to try new ideas. Set the bar for excellence and then make a big deal of hitting those milestones and celebrate every win. Reward even the small successes they add up. And recognize the failures; we learn more from failure than success.
6. Allow for different points of view. Your employees, outside partners, and suppliers, customers; all have input/comments that can make you better. Create a process for listening to their critical contributions and embrace the different points of view.