Just got a note from a good friend. About 6 months ago, he and I discussed a new job he was considering. It was a dream job, he accepted it. He reached out the other day to catch up and get some coaching. A phrase in his note struck me, “….It’s more challenging than I expected….”
My knee jerk reaction was, “Fantastic!” Isn’t that what we want with every new role we step into? Don’t we want something that’s “more challenging than expected?”
Think about it, one of the key ways we learn, grow, and develop is to do things that challenge us. That stretch us, force us to learn, to consider new things, to grow.
Too often, I think we cheat ourselves and our companies, by doing the things we know we can do, by not stretching ourselves, by not forcing ourselves to learn and do new things.
It actually turns out that stepping into the “safe role,” those that don’t stretch us is the most high risk decision we might make. In a world that is constantly changing, getting more complex; staying in our comfort zone is dangerous. It keeps us from growing, learning, changing, adapting.
Are you constantly putting yourself into roles that are “a little more challenging than expected?”
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