There’s a common saying shared often in our social media streams that you achieve success, we need to take a leap out of our comfort zone in order to access that space ‘where the magic happens’.
But is this really what we need to do to achieve success and personal fulfillment? That question serves as the starting point of my discussion on the true nature of comfort zones and learning how to grow our competencies with psychology and organizational behaviour professor Andy Molinsky.
Andy is a Professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology. His research and writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Psychology Today, the Financial Times, The Economist, and the New York Times. Andy was awarded as a Top Voice for LinkedIn for his work in education. Andy is the author of two books, including his latest, “Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence”, which serves as the focus of this episode.
In this episode of my leadership podcast, Andy and I discuss the realities of moving outside our comfort zone and how we can effectively accomplish this, and over the course of our conversation, Andy shares a number of valuable insights, including:
- What’s the real difference between between introversion and extroversion (hint: it’s now how shy or outgoing we are).
- The five challenges we face when moving outside our comfort zone – and the ones that most of us struggle with the most.
- Understanding the many ways that we avoid moving outside our comfort zone and how this can actually create a negative feedback loop that stifles opportunities for growth and success.
- The three strategies successful people share in common in how they approach moving outside their comfort zone to drive their future successes.
- The surprising reason why clarity is a key factor to our ability to succeed in moving outside our comfort zone.
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Noteworthy links:
- Buy Andy Molinsky’s book “Reach” on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers).
- Learn more about Andy’s work and his writings at andymolinsky.com.