“As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.”
-Robin S. Sharma
I’m fortunate to be friends with a jazz musician. He plays the keyboard and has a local band. His guitarist is really talented and keeps getting better. His drummer is the youngest member of the group, and my friend has been mentoring him.
Recently, a much more experienced, professional jazz drummer stopped in Omaha, and my friend invited him to a jam session. As soon as they started playing, it was easy to see how good the experienced drummer was.
It wasn’t just how the drummer played that was amazing, but also how much pressure it took off my friend.
Instead of having to lead the entire time, my friend could share the responsibility with the drummer. The shifts happening between them were seamless.
When my friend wasn’t under the pressure of leading, it opened the doors for him to create. I could tell he was trying new things. He trusted the other musicians to follow him.
The sound was amazing. My friend even commented during the show that he didn’t know the original songs he wrote could sound that great.
As a leader, you may fall into the trap of believing you have to be the best in the group. You might feel threatened if more experienced people are in the room. But it’s a burden to saddle yourself with the task of having to lead all the time.
Leaders need space and freedom to create. That only happens when you can let go of the need to lead and give yourself space to try new things.
It’s trusting that others will be able to follow what you’re doing.
Sometimes things work out. Sometimes they don’t. But without the freedom to try, you get stuck. And when a leader gets stuck, the whole organization is stuck.
Bringing in someone with more experience or knowledge will push you out of your comfort zone. And if you can let go of the need to “be in control,” you might just have the space to discover a better path.
Who can help push you out of your comfort zone?