Derrick McManus - Resilience and Durability’s Post

WOW ... I love it when my training, my messages and my words make a positive difference and have a multiplying ripple effect beyond the original learning environment. What is your concept of the 'comfort zone'? Should we be in it or out of it and when should be OK to change states? Have you ever been told to 'come back to your comfort zone' or have you been told you should always be out of your comfort zone because that's where growth is? Kathie Spalding (post below) is rightly very proud of her little (but taller 😆) brother graduating to become one of our newest Police Officers. I'm very pleased to have another member of the Blue Family out there on the frontline and I have great respect for his perseverance to achieve his dream. It would seem it has taken him a lot of hard work and refocusing to achieve the goal but as Kathie describes, "he persevered and has shown incredible resilience through some tough times". Kathie then kindly references me in a quote, from one of my presentations on the Continuum of Human Durability, "If you crash and burn, come back to your comfort zone, that's when you start getting your confidence back." 'Come back to your comfort zone' is not something most people, and certainly corporate people, are used to hearing. Very quick overview: Being outside our comfort zone is great so long as we're not too far out or out of it for too long without seeing the rewards of our efforts. In these conditions, being outside the comfort zone becomes the negative stress zone and this can lead to burnout, anxiety, depression and worse if not managed. The first step in management 'can be' as easy as coming back to your comfort zone - just for a little while or as long as you need to refresh, re-energise, and refocus so you can then reengage. Inside our comfort zone is where there is no stress. It's where you can be 100% reliable. It's where you get your confidence and courage back and reengage with renewed vigour. Coming back to your comfort zone is not a copout, it's smart for those of us who sometimes push ourselves too hard for too long and notice that other parts of our lives - health, family, fitness, socialising etc. - are being negatively affected. If you want to know more about the strategies, follow me here or reach out and let's have a chat about Human Durability discussions for you or your company. Please feel free to tag someone or share this far and wide.