Breaking Out of Your Career Comfort Zone

When you think about getting out of your comfort zone, it’s probably to go bungee jumping, rock climbing, or something else equally daunting. However, I suggest that career challenges seem impossible, but you can get more comfortable with them by taking steps versus leaps. Let’s dive into four tips that can get you out of your career comfort zone.

Tip # 1 – Design a 3-year individual development plan (IDP)

The idea of a 3-year plan is intentional because you need to set up mini challenges to take on that ultimately support your goal. So what should you add to an IDP? Think of it as a series of activities pushing you past your comfort zone with the goal of moving the needle on your career aspirations.

Start with outlining your top goal, or goals, and why they are important to you. Then begin to break them down into smaller actionable steps and categorize them by half or quarter year markers per year. Set up a regular cadence or timeframe to check in on your progress to see how far you have come.

Here is an example of my IDP over the years:

• Reach out to five senior leaders I’ve yet to meet in the organization and see if they are open to a career conversation. Note: this is not a job interview or opportunity-seeking exercise. My goal:
  • learn about their career journey
  • understand the skills they look for when recruiting for their team 
  • gain insight into what capabilities I need to elevate if I were interested in future opportunities in their area
• Read 52 books over the year focusing on women in leadership, strategy, recruitment, growth mindset, innovation, talent management, goal setting, capability building, etc.
• Participate in the company’s formal mentorship program as both a mentor and mentee.
• Stretch me by taking 150+ hours of Udemy courses over the year related to topics relevant to my goals (e.g., presentation skills, personal branding, innovation, time management, active listening, etc.).
• Seek out five peer mentors across the company to elevate my understanding of the company and our internal politics.·  Seek opportunities to take on stretch assignments that include presenting to executives.

Each of these small steps can help you build and demonstrate a growth mindset while helping you explore the next steps in your career.

Tip #2 – Seek out stretch assignments

Stretch assignments always appear to be more work, and who needs more? I always seek out stretch assignments because you are never the lone person to execute the job, and you never know where you may find your next career opportunity. As you move up in an organization or take on more senior leadership roles, you need two capabilities to excel. You must optimize your time (check out Taking Control of Your Calendar post) and become more efficient. Finding efficiencies is a win/win for everyone, and you may also find someone to help you in your day-to-day while taking on more responsibilities.

How do you seek out stretch assignments?

1. Put “stretch assignment” in your IDP and share your career intentions.  
   • I put myself  out there each year and have dramatically increased my capabilities as a result (hint: the assignments have not all been massive, 1-year projects and have been great learning experiences).
2. Include the concept of stretch assignments in conversations with your leader, mentor, peer mentors, etc., so you are top of mind when an opportunity arises.  
   • I use these meetings to brainstorm which stretch assignments would be beneficial and I have taken on many by sharing  my intentions. 
3. Watch your inbox for potential opportunities.
   • Even as I write this blog post, a request came in to help with career content for WIL’s website. You might think, what makes this a stretch assignment? Well, it is because it is on-camera content. Now, that takes me out of my comfort zone. But in the true spirit of my IDP, I answered yes to the ask!
4. Join committees, employee resource groups, etc., where you can stretch while doing good for your community  
   • I’ve joined groups and taken on assignments to get out of my way. While not explicitly tied to performance reviews, I always add them to my Above and Beyond list, demonstrating how I have exceeded expectations in my role over the year.

Tip #3 – Ask your leader for a little nudge as part of your job

Asking for a nudge helps you gain confidence in asking for what you want. So, what would be considered a nudge?

• Facilitating a meeting series that requires you to interact with senior leaders in your area when you are nervous about public speaking. The bonus is delivering bite-sized information to elevate your presentation skills in s at each meeting while gaining visibility
• Request the ability to take on drafting leadership presentations to various levels of leadership to improve your executive communications skills.
• Take an engagement initiative for the group or team where you can elevate your leadership with influence competency. Bonus is the ability to increase your internal network and personal brand.
• Join a focus group or fireside chat that requires you to share your opinions on a topic or two with senior leadership. While this can seem daunting, you can easily demonstrate your critical thinking while you learn more about the company or team’s priorities.

Tip #4 – Ask for some support

Whether you agree or not, your colleagues want you to be the best version of yourself. Knowing this fact, ask your peers to help you learn a capability they do well and it could be as simple as:

1. Review a presentation where they share their feedback and ideas on how to elevate  it and allow you to test the delivery via a dry run.
2. Seek advice from a leader on requesting a stretch assignment with leadership.
3. Draft a proposal on an initiative and seek input or support from those who may have a vested interest in it.
4. Ask someone with a capability you admire for coffee and gently probe their tips and tricks on how they elevate themselves.
5. Ask a peer for some introductions so you can get tied with leaders who can help you build your internal network – hint, these could be the people who offer you your next stretch assignment.

These are not substantial stretch assignments per se but could be just the activity to push you to tackle even more to get you out of your career comfort zone. These ideas also help you demonstrate your growth mindset – something all companies and leaders expect.

Connect with Penny on LinkedIn or check out www.theizzyway.ca for more of her collection of blog posts