But if we want to continue to attract and retain talent and customers, and want to continue innovating and advancing new ideas and ways of working, we need to intentionally avoid the comfort instinct and seek discomfort. It’s only human to seek the comfort of the known and familiar. We can start by foregoing some of the things-think of them as security blankets-that define our comfort zone: formal and fixed working hours, assigned offices and work spaces, in-person meetings, executive floors and offices (that’s right, the C-suite), PowerPoint documents, meetings before the meeting to prepare for the meeting, steering committees, fixed job descriptions and job titles, talent that works for one company only, formal organizational structures. If we want to keep advancing the world of work, there’s a lot we can do to stay uncomfortable. It’s also what drives innovation. As Mary Ellen Adcock, a senior vice president at the nearly 140-year-old Kroger Company told me, “Covid-19 has been Kroger’s Chief Innovation Officer.” Maybe we should all be seeking discomfort, because in the process of getting comfortable with the things that make us uncomfortable, we learn and grow and become better leaders. I know I need to muster the courage, lean in and force myself to become as comfortable with these and other online whiteboard and collaboration tools as I am now with Zoom. I wasn’t one of them. I see the potential in these tools but, honestly, they seem beyond my tech abilities.īut with all the productivity and efficiency gains they offer I can’t go back. So, what is my next hill to climb? Those who were able to master a full range of digital collaboration tools to brainstorm and collaborate with team members-tools such as Slack, Miro, MS Whiteboard, and Trello-did even better this past year.
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