Danger In The Comfort ZoneWritten by Jay Conners
Danger in Comfort Zone/By J.ConnersI don’t know who said it or where I heard it, but I’m sure it was brought to my attention by a sales trainer somewhere, at some time during my journey through maze of countless sales trainings and seminars that I have attended over years, but it does make perfect sense. There is danger in comfort zone! Ahh yes! The comfort zone, we all know it very well, we have all spent a lot of time there. It is safe place where everything comes so naturally and effortlessly, place where no one can touch us, where we are masters of our own house, and our own craft. The confidence that knowing our paycheck will be automatically deposited into our bank accounts has become as automatic as our daily routines. The danger... So what exactly is “danger” implied in saying “there is danger in comfort zone” The danger is becoming so relaxed in what we do and what we know , that any kind of change in our daily routine becomes frightening, and that limits us from exposing our total potential and getting most out of our work day and our lives. We reach a point in our work life where we say hey, I’ve made it far enough, I’ve paid my do’s, I make good money, I have a nice car, that’s great! You have worked hard and accomplished plenty, you are entitled to every accolade associated with success, but why stop there? A little story... About ten years ago I attended a retirement dinner for a Vice President of a very large corporation, I didn’t know him that well, but it was a big social event, and a lot of my friends were going, so I attended. When given opportunity, I approached this retiree to wish him luck in his retirement and make small talk. Midway through our conversation, I asked him about his career, and titles that he had held, each title was an indication that he had risen through ranks. He said to me, Jay, it’s no big secret. Every six months to a year, I would browse through my companies job postings, seeking out an opportunity to advance. When an opportunity came along, I jumped at chance for an interview, and as it turned out, I was usually only one applying.
| | Discontentment in the WorkplaceWritten by David Richter
While more people are finding employment, more employed workers are discontent and experiencing frustration. In most cases it can be boiled down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events. You can possess a tremendous amount of creativity and skill, but if you aren’t given opportunities to utilize and express these qualities to their fullest, frustration can quickly set in. For most employees, there is a huge differential between what they can bring to table and responsibilities they have been given. It’s rare that you hear of someone working a forty-hour week. These days, fifty and sixty-hour weeks have become commonplace. What hasn’t changed is your compensation. Working a sixty-hour week yet getting paid for forty can feel out of balance. It’s certainly not conducive to feeling appreciated. If you are a manager, this may sound familiar: You are given responsibility over a project and direct reports, yet you have not been given authority to produce positive change. As a result, you feel powerless. It’s similar to being commander of a ship with tremendous responsibility, yet not allowed to enforce any rules or have any control over environment. World events have a pronounced effect on our emotions and way we tend to approach life. It's been said that a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of world affects life around globe. We are all interconnected. To look at current state of increasing discontent and frustration among employees everywhere as an isolated event may not be an accurate reflection of reality.
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