Five steps to Develop a Successful Management Comfort Zone?

We all experience situations where we feel our strengths and core competencies are matched with the circumstances that we find our selves in.  When this happens we are prone to say that we are in our comfort “zone”.  The more times we find ourselves in the “zone” we are more satisfied and feel more productive.

We are more relaxed when we know what should be done and it comes easy to you (for you it is intuitively obvious), and most importantly, people around you seek you out so that your confidence and success can rub off on them.

People that are normally in their “zone” most of the time are successful and are usually asked to take on additional responsibilities and this often leads to directing the activities or others.  The objective of course is for you to share what makes you highly productive with the new groups or teams that you are now responsible for.

Unfortunately taking on a management role does not always match with the behavior characteristics that cause you to be comfortable and in your “zone.”  When you were in your “zone” you were normally in control of the unknowns and variables.

As a manager you find that you are now dealing with different personalities, interests, motivations and outside influence factors such as families, personal habits and transitions through the seasons of life.

Consequently when you were in control and in your “zone” you intuitively knew what to do next to get things done, exceed expectations and overcome obstacles with ease that others found insurmountable.  Now as a manager or with extended people responsibility you are overwhelmed.

What do you need to do to get the “zone” back?

Summary
Everyone likes being the “zone” – even owners and CEO’s of businesses.  As your career transitions you into new areas of responsibility, your success and attitude will be affected by your ability to apply what you were most comfortable doing in your previous position to the new one.

I once asked an owner of a company what he was most comfortable doing and he admitted he was in his “zone” on the floor running a machine and making high precision parts for his customers.  As a result of our conversation he realized that he needed accept his role running the company and dealing with its thorny issues with the same enthusiasm and attention to detail as he did running a piece of equipment and getting it to turn out precision parts consistently.

You can transfer the “zone” experience to other circumstances, even onto management, but it will take diligence and perseverance.  You may be surprised that you will be a natural adapting to a few of your new responsibilities and duties but in other areas you will need help and lots of practice to perfect your new skills and become comfortable in your successful management “zone.”