Tag Archives: comfort zone

A Zone of Judgement

“I tried it,” Bowen shook his head. “I got stuffed. The team resisted. They told me everything was fine, that I was worried about nothing. They said, if my manager wasn’t happy with the team’s output, that was their problem. If my manager didn’t like it, he could just fire the whole team. They thought that was funny, knowing we would never just fire the whole team.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “So, what does that tell you about comfort zones?”

Bowen thought. “Comfort zones infect the way we think. It’s like a habit, so grooved that anything out of the zone must be wrong. The comfort zone looks like a position of judgement, self protecting the way we have always done things.”

“So, while habits help us routinize a process,” I said, “that habit lulls us into a sense of comfort that prevents us from seeing obstacles on the periphery. We ignore those obstacles until they become front and center. So comfortable is our zone, we may continue to deny the obstacle, call it unimportant, maybe not fair.”

Bowen looked straight at me. “I run a fine line. I want to create habits to ensure a consistency of output, that we are doing things the best way, efficiently. But, we also have to watch out that our comfort zone doesn’t cause us to deny new problems or circumstances that require a new response outside of our habit.”

I smiled. “And, how do you imagine getting your team to that point?”

Comfort Zones

“I call it constructive discontent,” I nodded.

“What do you mean?” Bowen asked.

“You wonder why things don’t improve around your team, you seem to always fall just short of expectations, and you can never figure out why.”

“But, I have a very experienced team,” he said. “They know how things are done around here. There just always seems to be some curve ball that throws us off our game.”

“Sounds like things are comfortable, maybe too easy. Until you get the curve ball? Why do you think the curve ball throws you off your game?”

“It’s unexpected, out of the ordinary, a variance in our routine. When it happens, and it happens regularly, we get off balance, like a deer in the headlights.”

“And, you are not happy about this?” I smiled.

“No,” Bowen frowned. “Most of the time, things run really smooth, but these hiccups in our process seem to constantly put us behind.”

“Perhaps, it is your comfort zone, the comfort zone for the team that prevents an appropriate response to the hiccup. Perhaps, you should create some artificial hiccups, change the pace, increase a quality spec, move the deadline, so your team could practice being out of their comfort zone. Have your team create a stress test exercise, and then, practice. Practice being out of your comfort zone.”

Comfort Zone

“But, the ringleader of the team doesn’t believe in the project. As long as that is what she believes, the project is doomed,” Ryker explained.

“What are your alternatives?” I asked. “And, I am looking for more than one.”

Ryker thought a bit. “I could try to change what she believes. That’s one. I could try to change her influence over the team, find a new ringleader. Or, it might just be easier to resign the project, let it go.”

I nodded. “Yes, it would be easier to abandon the project, stay in your comfort zone.”

Ryker pursed his lips. Seconds ticked by. “Nope, not going to abandon.”

“Okay, then,” I stared at Ryker. “Then, tell me what you are going to do.”