Comfort Zone Trap

19 Jun Comfort Zone Trap

Transcript:

• So Fiona, can you tell us of a time when you saw people sitting in their comfort zone?
• I remember 25 years ago I worked for a high profile company and every year, they ran an awards night and on this particular awards night, I walked into the room and it was full of really important people like key people of influence, there were some famous people. And looking around the room, I could see the sales team and they were huddled together as a group. And so I thought, well they’re probably doing a pre-event briefing. However, as the night went on, I noticed that they stayed in this group and in fact, they did do that the whole night long and I got more and more frustrated. You see, there was this huge opportunity for them to network, for them to meet people who could help them grow and expand their business and open up new opportunities and they were throwing it all away. And I think on reflection, that that’s probably the first time that I saw a group of people sitting in what we call the comfort zone trap.
• Oh that’s very interesting. So why do you think they got stuck in this trap?
• Subsequently, I’ve identified three reasons why people sit in the comfort zone trap.The first one is called the imposter syndrome. The second is a lack of confidence and the third is due to stress and overwhelm.
• Do you think all of those were at play here?
• I think they probably were. I think the key one was probably imposter syndrome though.
• Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
• With the imposter syndrome, people believe that they don’t deserve to be in the situation that they’re in, that they’re not worthy somehow. And I think what was probably happening with the sales team is that when they looked around and they saw these people were what they considered higher, above them, and I think they probably were fearfulbthat if they went up to these people and introduced themselves, these people would look at them and they’d sort of say, who do you think you are to be talking to me?
• So how much do you see the imposter syndrome today?
• I think the imposter syndrome is on the increase because I seem to be seeing it more and more.
• So why do you think that is?
• I think today what we’re seeing is this culture of comparison and because our lives are so visible to everyone, it means we’re not longer just comparing ourselves to our immediate colleagues. We’re now looking so far afield and it becomes quite daunting because of course, when you compare yourself to everyone in the world, you’re gonna have less experience, you’re gonna have less skills. And I think because of that, people are feeling that they’re more lacking than they actually are.
• Okay. When you first mentioned the sales team and you saw them huddling together, you mentioned that you thought they were being briefed. Do you think they were very clear on what to do?
• No, I don’t. Companies often talk about having their own vision and mission but what they forget is you need to bring that down to the team level. Teams need visions too. And I really do believe that in this case the team did not have a shared vision. And because of that, they didn’t have the impetus to step out of the comfort zone.
• Could you have helped them?
• 25 years ago I think I was quite limited in the ways that I could’ve helped them but now looking back, I realize that actually what would’ve really helped them would’ve been our I Shape system.
• Oh that’s interesting. And which part of I Shape in particular do you think would’ve been helpful?
• Well the I Shapesystem helps you to create a conscious presence. So that means that you connect with your body, you connect with your mind and then you learn to connect with others. So I think all three elements there would’ve helped. And so some of the things that they would’ve done is in addition to creating a shared team values is they would’ve learnt how to cope with fear and how to cope with that voice inside their heads that holds them back.
• From experience, I know that sales people in general are quite confident. So do you think that lack of confidence might be at play here?
• You’re right. Sales teams often seem very confident from the outside. They’re full of bravado. But that’s often not reflected on the inside and on the inside, they get those same doubts as everyone else. And I think in this case, they lacked that inner confidence and that inner resilience.
• You’ve also mentioned that some people get stuck in the comfort zone because of stress and overwhelm. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
• Yes, definitely stress and anxiety and overwhelm all play a part of keeping people trapped in their comfort zone. So in the case of the sales team, it’s very likely that some of them would’ve felt overwhelmed by the situation that they found themselves in. So when we’re overwhelmed, we try and stick with the familiar, we don’t want to challenge ourselves at all.
• Are there any other signs?
• One of the things you can look for to try and assess whether or not somebody’s overwhelmed is their posture. So somebody who’s in overwhelm will tend to close in on themselves. And that means essentially that they’re protecting their heart. So if I was to look back at that group now, I would actually be assessing their posture as a clue. Because if they’re physically protecting themselves, that means that they’re also mentally very likely to be staying in their comfort zone.
• Thank you, Fi, that was really interesting.
• Thank you.
• And if you would like to know how you can avoid getting into the comfort zone trap, please contact us at The Smartest Path.