The song “Changes” by Langhorne Slim appeared on my playlist this morning. The title of this track is a reminder of what is becoming more and more common in our lives and workplaces. We often struggle to know how to continue to work towards defined goals and areas of growth during times of change. Instead, when we encounter unexpected change, we often feel motivated to draw back to a predictable environment we can define as our “comfort zone”. Here we feel safe and in control. We are calmed by familiarity and predictable routines, expectations, and relationships.
The above visual is commonly used to illustrate the different environments we can choose to operate from. Proactive people don’t shy away from changes or fear; they embrace them. Nonetheless, it does take courage and trust to leave one’s comfort zone, even during stable times. With the right mindset and mentality, we can learn to confidently change the way we think to continue growing, at any time. As the saying goes, “it is possible to change without growing, but it’s impossible to grow without changing”. It is important to keep in mind, however, that growth is a process and takes time. Failures will happen. Frustrations and setbacks will undoubtedly appear, and you’ll see many who give up when they reach this point. However, those who continue on their growth journey know that mistakes are signs of moving in the right direction.
I often tell myself to focus much more on what I can control instead of dwelling on what happens around me. Easier said than done, as many of you might be thinking! How can I not let the opinions or actions of others influence me? What about what people think of me, or what is happening around me? Just like all of us, I have restless nights when these thoughts don’t go away. However, on the journey toward growth, this is to be expected. As a change of mindset, I have to ask myself different questions. How do I continue to focus on the challenges and goals I have set for myself and my teams regardless of what comes our way? What do I continue to dedicate my energy to? Reminding yourself of this daily is how you get used to your new ability to extend your comfort zone. In fact, thinking this way will slowly start to become your new comfort zone, one you can control and predict.
As school leaders, we can slowly create this culture of continued growth for ourselves and our teams. What should be in every leadership job description is the expectation to create opportunities to inspire continued growth at all times during a school year. I’ll give an example. Ask your teams to write down a statement that defines their desired growth environment, an outline of what your team members would prefer to notice around them and the school that promotes growth. Ask for specifics, not just a general outline. These statements can then be either taken back to their own teams and referenced throughout the year to maintain this drive toward continued growth or collected for reference as you continue to build your healthy culture for the school year.
I often ask candidates during interviews to describe to me a time when they felt they were outside their comfort zone in their current school setting and how they managed the next steps of that situation. Leaders who work towards building a healthy culture that cultivates growth also look to bring on proactive and growth-minded staff to join the team. It’s inevitable that changes will always come our way. So, let’s continue to focus on what we can control and how we change ourselves on our journey toward continued growth.
Mark Dominguez 