I’m not sure what’s evolved over the last several years, but I seem to be surrounded by people who often describe themselves as anxious and filled with fear. I appreciate and are grateful for that notion that I’m not one of those people. Recently in a meeting, someone shared a lovely passage written by Elizabeth Gilbert addressing her approach to managing fear. When the assembled group began to discuss it, I reluctantly shared, “I can’t relate to this.” For whatever reason, I appear to be missing fear as a component of my internal wiring.
When I was a child, I was quite different. If I didn’t know how to do something - whether it was the pronunciation of a vocab word in French class or learning how to stick an aerial in gymnastics, I retreated. I feared practicing in front of other people, likely because I was scared of looking stupid or incompetent. I would go off on my own, practice like hell, and then wait until the last possible minute to share what I learned. Sometimes things would go well, sometimes they wouldn’t. And yet, it took me years to realize that if I wanted to experience a truly amazing life - both personally and professionally - living in the bubble of my comfort zone just simply wasn’t going to get me there. Not entirely sure what triggered that epiphany, but I’ve never turned back.
My mother will go so far as to refer to me as cavalier, suggesting I am largely dismissive of potential negative consequences. She’s absolutely correct. Instead, I choose to focus on the positive potential outcomes, balanced with a healthy dose of “What’s the worst that can happen?” This has resulted in making a number of bold moves over the years. Some have been failures. Many have been successes. All I have learned from. Ultimately, I subscribe to the notion that if you play small, you gain small. I prefer big gains.
I write regularly about risk-taking, and why it’s important for both our own personal progress as well as enabling innovation within an organization. When we stay in our comfort zones, we may intellectually understand that we limit our potential for achieving any of those amazing opportunities we aim for in life. And yet, for many of us, stepping out of that zone of comfort is just plain uncomfortable. There are now countless articles suggesting this ability to both take risks and learn from them is a vital business skill, and yet so many of us haven’t quite figured out how to take that leap and go for it - even if we understand that failure to do so, limits our possibilities.
Need a little motivation? Here are a few prods you might benefit from if you wish to push out of the comfort and live a little more boldly.
WALK THE WALK
Nearly every company these days will claim that they value risk-taking and bold thinking, and yet so few actually have created a culture that enables employees to do this well. Behaviors make up cultures, so don’t be one of those people who talks a good game and then fail to live up to those expectations. If you truly believe the ability to take risks and drive innovation is important, then model that way on your team - regardless of what role you play on the team. Share your “risk” and enlist others for support as needed. If you succeed, share what contributed to that win. If you encounter failure, take accountability and share your learnings. Actively exhibiting the behavior you claim to support is a vital component to helping others learn and develop their skills in the workplace, as well as their personal lives. In other words, don’t sit around waiting for others to make it “safe” for you to behave this way. Just take the bold step to do it.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH RISK-TAKERS
Broadening our networks and communities with others who “dare greatly” is one simple way to bolster our feelings of vulnerability in this area, in addition to broadening our point of view and perspective. Think about it this way: if I just sit in the comfort of my room writing fiction stories and share them with no one, I’m likely not going to produce my best work. If I join a writer’s workshop, on the other hand, I’m partnering with others who are also willing to put themselves out there in hopes of gaining critical feedback - all in the spirit of aiding one another in getting better. If your entire posse consists of reluctant risk-takers who live in their comfort zone, then chances are this will do little to inspire you to take that leap.
DEFINE YOUR BOUNDARIES
At Rapid7, we often use add the qualifying word “disciplined” when we speak of risk. By that, we mean measuring the risks we take. I’m not suggesting any of us operate cavalierly, or take audacious steps to propel ourselves out of our comfort zones (though I love when people do!). If you are unclear where to draw your boundaries, identify a few trusted allies (teammates, your manager, a key advisor, etc.) and ask for some help and guidance.
CELEBRATE THE “GOOD FAILURES”
We can all point to examples in our lives of when we took a risk, failed, and ultimately learned something valuable from the experience. For those who really embrace resilience, they will likely try, over and over again until they find success. They learn from past mistakes and edit until they find the magic formula. However, sometimes we need a little motivation to prod us along after we’ve been knocked down. Whether it is challenging your team to add an award for “Best Risk Taken of the Month,” a stand-up meeting where each person shares their risks and their subsequent victories or road bumps, or even just you treating yourself for taking a risk in the first place, pause to celebrate. New behaviors can be scary to adopt; by finding ways to support yourself in embracing the art of taking a risk, you’ll likely find it simpler than you thought to move out of your comfortable place, and straight into your stretch zone.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH INSPIRATION:
Brene Brown, incredible storyteller, researcher, and expert on vulnerability, has an incredible new special currently trending on Netflix, The Call to Courage. If anything I have written about has ignited a spark in you to push yourself, she’ll add gas to the fire. It’s just brilliant.
As part of the special, she shares part of an incredible quote from Teddy Roosevelt as the inspiration for her work. Here’s the full version.
The Man in the Arena.
“It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strongman stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and blood and sweat, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with the cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Let’s all push ourselves out of our comfort zones and achieve everything we are capable of. Come on...I dare you!
PS - Bonus points if you are willing to share a bold or risky move you’ve taken in your life recently so others can be inspired by you and learn!