Moving Outside Your Comfort Zone - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

It can be difficult for nurses to move outside their comfort zones. One former graduate student of mine serves as a good example of the problem. Over the years, we often discussed her career plans. Usually, the calls were about whether she should pursue a career opportunity that was presented to her. Her decision was always the same – she stayed where she was because she felt comfortable in her role. She is an incredibly talented leader who for many years worked in a very small hospital. To grow, she knew she needed to move into a different role in a larger health agency but the decision to do this was a challenging one for her. Recently, she did take the plunge. Her only regret is that she did not do it sooner.

Your Comfort Zone

All of us have a comfort zone. There is a certain temperature at which we feel the most comfortable. There is a way of life in which we feel at ease. There are people with whom we feel most comfortable. There are work situations that are more comfortable then others. When we find ourselves outside our comfort zone, we can feel uncomfortable and out of place. Our natural inclination is to value comfort. We feel safe within the confines of our comfort zone. The problem is that our comfort zone can also prevent us from our highest levels of capability. The great artist Michelangelo is quoted as saying, “the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.

Fearing Failure

We sometimes hear nurses who complain about their current work environment, but don’t move into action to make any changes in their life. Fear of failure is the most common common reason that people give when they avoid moving outside their comfort zone. It can feel safer to stay inside our comfort zone rather than move into a new situation where we risk criticism and external judgment. Although sticking to the status quo may be tempting and comfortable, this is not how growth occurs. Failure is also part of the leadership growth experience. The hard knocks, the disappointments, and the losses give us challenges. While we may wish that we did not have to weather these storms, they are what make us strong. They give us maturity and responsibility, and after all, what better teacher can we have than our own direct experience? In the words of Susan Jeffer, a noted author on this subject, “feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Small Steps

When you know you are stuck in your comfort zone, you have made a big step in recognizing the problem. Moving out of your comfort zone can seem challenging. Taking small steps to change allows you to stretch your comfort zone slowly. This will make it less uncomfortable and frightening. Think about the last time you moved outside your comfort zone but, in retrospect, were glad you did. Make a list of new things you want to do, and just start with one of them. Take one step in a new direction every day, and take action.

As an example, many nurses are afraid of public speaking and turn down invitations because of their fear. Yet this is a critical skill for nurse leaders, who often have to present their ideas or new initiatives to staff or higher levels of management. An effective presentation can have a very positive impact in helping you as a leader to achieve your goals. So to move outside your comfort zone, you would volunteer to do a short presentation to a small group. In doing this, you have made a commitment to the outside world. Do your homework on how to give a presentation and take the plunge.

Moving outside your comfort zone takes practice. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will feel with it. So why not try the following:

Volunteer to chair the heart walk.
Talk to somebody new each day at work.
Teach a class at your local nursing school or college.
Take salsa dancing lessons.
Travel to a different country.
Try a new sport.
Drive a different route to work every day for a month.
Read a professional journal that you have never read before.
Perform in a talent show.
Learn a foreign language.

Read to Lead

Jeffer, S. (2006). Feel the Fear and do It Anyway. Ballentine Books.