Challenges/Opportunities for Leaders When Stepping Out of Comfort Zone

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tetiana McLemore, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Despite the fact that the topic of a comfort zone has been widely discussed recently, it is still vital to consider it at a special angle when we talk about leaders.

Evidently the term ‘leader’ is very battered and fashionable and is always linked to top executives. In real life it often happens that top executives turn out to be just very efficient managers. In other cases, some of them get the executive positions because of favorable conditions and well-established standards of employment, such as, education, successful track records, connections or references. In rare cases we meet executives who are true leaders, those who believe that impossible is achievable and there is always the way to reach the goal. The executives who are true leaders or want to be them never stop developing and improving when the goal is reached. They are always looking for new opportunities, thus, setting new higher goals and inspire people to follow them. The belief of a true leader borders with the insanity as it may seem from the point of view of an average stereotyped person.

So, how can a person be always challenged so to see the challenge as an opportunity? From the existing literature and numerous articles the answer to this question is obvious – one should step out of the comfort zone.There is no doubt that for people who are at the beginning of their way to success, it is easier to do. They usually have nothing to lose: they just start acquiring new skills and experience. What about the executives who strive to be leaders? On the contrary to beginners, they have a different comfort zone – they have a lot of things to lose. Firstly, they have social and professional status. According to the non-written standards it is considered hard for executives to get back on the track once you have dropped out from the race pursuing your own unique way to the goal. They become outsiders and not welcomed in the society which does not understand and accept such a sacrifice. Secondly, they have money to maintain their lifestyle and image. You can imagine what efforts it takes to say good bye to financial comfort and stability. Thirdly, the executives have subordinates, followers, and team members who always count on them and for whom the executives are responsible. And last but not least, they have dependents and families. It is easier to take chances and risk when you are on your own but it is an ethical dilemma to do so when you have to take care of your relatives.

Life is a wired thing. When you have decided to be the true leader and stepped on this path, you always have to be ready to make tough decisions. When the decision is done by you, you are the boss and choose the way to go. Otherwise, you can end up in the situation when the decision is made instead of you and you are limited in choices, you cannot lead – the situation and circumstances control you. The choice is even harder when executives, knowing about their leadership potential, are afraid of leaving their comfort zones so they prefer to be just good managers.