Looking for better leadership skills? Look outside your comfort zone.

Leslie DicksonPosted by Leslie Dickson on May 6th, 2010 | 0 Comments

I just read a fascinating research study on goal setting by LeadershipIQ. There’s a lot of great information about how employees view the goal setting process. The bad news is that only 13% of them think their organization’s current methodology is helping them reach their potential. The stumbling block? A focus on goals that are deemed realistic and achievable seems to support small thinking, playing it safe.

The fact is, people long for goals that reach farther and demand more. Imagine that. People want to take on big goals, difficult goals. Is that you? Your team? I’ll bet it is. We seem to be longing to accomplish something important and valuable.

The research then goes on to discuss eight make-or-break factors that are predictors of whether goals are going to help people actually achieve great things. Here are three of them. You probably don’t have to be a professional in leadership development and teambuilding to know they would be on the list:

  • I will need to learn new skills

There’s no question that new goals require new skills.  But here’s the one that I bet takes you by surprise:

  • I will be pushed outside my comfort zone

Did you do a double-take? Many people do. Why? It’s easy to associate getting outside our comfort zones with mistakes, failure, feeling foolish, getting laughed at. 

But, I’m not the least bit surprised. You know why? I’ve spent my whole career at VoicePro helping people get outside their comfort zones. They aren’t crushed by the effort – they’re transformed by it. The word “empowered” is barely descriptive. I see magic happen every day. People “step out” and discover new strengths and abilities that can transfer far outside the specific knowledge they’re pursuing.

Of course, helping people out of their comfort zone is a skill – and an art. That’s why years of experience lead me to agree with the third success predictor:

  • I will have access to formal training needed for new skills

As much as we all can learn on our own – from a book, from a mentor, from e-learning – we sometimes need formal training in a safe environment, where leaders won’t let us back down, but help us find new abilities.

It starts with a safe place away from the people and situations that can make us timid. But there’s much more. My job is to find a way to help you find yourself. Sometimes I coax.  Maybe I nudge. The trigger could be a question – or a story. Sometimes I’m a flashlight that shows the way. And sometimes I help swing that axe that chops a hole in the comfort zone wall. 

That’s what formal training should be about – not just knowledge, but power. By the way, this isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a mission statement and a commitment my staff and I live by.

What are your goals for yourself this year? For your team? Are you’re ready for a trip outside your comfort zone? Are you ready to reach for your goals?

Image by btmlinedan

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