Staying Relevant in the Workplace

Steven Soderbergh, famed film director, inspired me this past week.

In an interview with Andrew Romano of The Daily Beast,  Soderbergh had this to say about the progression of his work.  "As I continue to work, and as I learn more, I have to keep looking for ways to be slightly outside of my comfort zone. So that’s what I’ll keep doing."

If any person could claim to have arrived - one of those people would be Soderbergh - and perhaps the reason for that is his humility and willingness to be outside of his comfort zone.

Many of us have occupied positions for a period of time long enough that we are comfortable with what we are doing.   There's nothing wrong with a little bit of comfort - a feeling of well-earned accomplishment - as long as it is accompanied with a realization that to stay relevant - we all need to find ways to be slightly outside of our comfort zones.

And we should coach and encourage our teams to be slightly out of their comfort zones.

It is the path on which we and our teams can continue to grow.   It is the way that we can get that gut-level feel of achievement.    This is the key to move the business, the team and ourselves forward.

Looking closely at Soderbergh's statement - don't miss the last sentence, "So that's what I'll keep doing."   Stepping outside of our comfort zones should not be just a one-time occurrence - it should be a commitment that we keep for our lifetimes.

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My book, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders," is available for e-readers, PCs and tablets from Amazon Kindle.