I had the opportunity this week to work with a team that is wanting to achieve great results. One of the biggest barriers to achieving great results is our tendency towards homeostasis - our innate desire to maintain balance - which almost demands that we play it safe. The dilemma we face is that breakthroughs in performance rarely come from doing the same old thing in the same old way. Breakthroughs often require us to take risks and do things differently - which can often lead to a short term drop in performance - and put our commitment to the test. Who wants to run the risk of looking bad in an environment where results count?
Our reluctance to change is natural and it afflicts many of us. In his archetype of the human story, known as the Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell describes this process of going from the safe to the uncertain as 'crossing of the threshold' - an act that requires a leap of faith. Some of us try and put a dollar each way and 'straddle' the threshold - but it never works? We simply find ourselves stuck - getting more and more uncomfortable in the moment.
Those who stay safe in the comfort zone avoid the 'risk' of failure - but they also avoid the best opportunity on offer to become more and to achieve more. This clip from Shakespeare is a favourite quote that speaks to this point:
Achieving breakthrough results requires a special kind of courage - and the willingness to trust our carefully cultivated self-image into the hands of our colleagues and team mates - and not to worry to much about what others may think - if I don't get it right first time. It has been exciting, this week, to work with a team that stands at the threshold - ready and eager to leap.
This morning I found myself wondering who, if any, of the group might balk at the threshold - when I caught myself in the hypocrisy in it. Who am I to question anyone at the threshold if I stand in the safety of the comfort zone. Leadership at the threshold requires us to be out front - the first to commit, the first to leap, the first to put the torch to boat that brought us here. There is something wrong about encouraging boldness and adventure adventure from the comfort of a recliner.
I can play it safe and settle for mediocrity or I can take some risks and have the chance of breaking through to another level. It's my choice and it always has been .....
Food for thought...
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