The mindset you need to level up your career
If you’ve hit a professional plateau, read this!
I have a confession. There was a time, early in my career, when I viewed my boss as my nemesis.
It was a trying time. Every time I became comfortable in my role, he moved me to a new position I knew nothing about.
For example, when I was in my early twenties, I worked as a Human Resource Generalist. One of the most challenging tasks I encountered was negotiating labor contracts with people much older than I was. But just as I was getting good at it, guess what?
My boss recognized my newfound confidence and moved me to Compensation Manager at the corporate office. The language of compensation was gibberish to me, and my confidence was shaken once more.
This happened time and time again. After all these challenging new roles, I certainly had a resume chock full of diverse knowledge and experiences. And when I became an executive, I found myself drawing on what I learned in all of those roles, often in surprising ways.
Many years later, I had a lightbulb moment. I realized my “nemesis” boss had given me a priceless gift.
By putting me in positions I knew nothing about, he accelerated my learning. Even more importantly, he taught me how to grow.
The power of the Learning Zone
When I reflect on how I became successful more rapidly than others my age, I discovered it was because my “nemesis” boss kept putting me in the Learning Zone.
The Learning Zone model, created by Noel Tichy, explains how we learn and grow. Here’s a quick breakdown for you.
The Comfort Zone is at the center of the model and it’s where we gravitate. It’s the place where we feel at ease. But we won’t find growth and learning here because we are comfortable rather than stretched.
The Panic Zone, on the other end of the spectrum, is a place of high stress and drama. Growth rarely happens here either because all your energy goes toward dealing with those stressors.
The Learning Zone is the sweet spot. You experience an elevated sense of pressure because you don’t have everything figured out. Yet you believe success is achievable, and you’re motivated to learn and grow so you can accomplish your goals.
How to recognize Learning Zone opportunities
Once I finally understood the value of being in the Learning Zone (thanks to my boss), I started putting myself in it.
For example, when I was in my thirties, a university invited me to give a commencement address. My initial reaction was, quite simply, no way! I didn’t feel confident as a public speaker at all.
Yet I knew that my gut “no” reaction meant I needed to say yes. Why? Because it would require me to get in the Learning Zone. So I accepted the invitation. I chose to lean into the challenge rather than avoid it.
The secret to getting in the Learning Zone begins with recognizing your gut “no” reaction as an opportunity.
Then, consider all the ways it could help you grow – and what might be possible when you do. Those two mindset shifts will help you then accept that invitation and put yourself in the Learning Zone.
Do you avoid the Learning Zone?
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was fortunate to have a boss who continually took me out of my Comfort Zone and into a Learning Zone.
Rather than waiting for someone to do it for you, find ways to put yourself in the Learning Zone. It may be uncomfortable, but you can learn to appreciate it like I did.
If you feel like you’ve hit a professional plateau, it may be because you’ve spent too long in that Comfort Zone. It’s time to find ways to push yourself out of it by learning new skills and exploring different opportunities.
The best place to start is with some reflection on your own perspective:
- What areas of your professional life feel a little too comfortable right now?
- What specific fears keep you from getting in the Learning Zone?
- What does getting out of your Comfort Zone look like? What specific things could you do?
- If you did those things, what kind of growth would you experience?
- Do you lead someone who might need a push out of their Comfort Zone and into the Learning Zone?
The French physiologist Claude Bernard gives us an important nugget of wisdom: “It's what we already know that often prevents us from learning.”
Don’t let a need for comfort or confidence keep you from leveling up your career.
I choose to view the Learning Zone as the gift I didn’t know I wanted, but learned to love over time. And the Learning Zone is now a gift I give to myself.
I hope you’ll embrace the challenge of the Learning Zone. It is crucial if you want to become the best leader you can be.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! Tell me about a time you found yourself in the Learning Zone, and what growth came from it.