Being Uncomfortable

We're about to go through our annual performance dialogue process: all staff prepare dialogue forms that managers review, and then we have candid conversations about the past year's performance and upcoming goals for the future. Of course there's lots of talk about stretch goals ("stretch often!") and ways to develop professionally, and I was very pleased to see our HR team talk about external opportunities for professional development. Though I'm sure many of us are involved in leadership activities outside of work and we'll list them on our resumes (and LinkedIn profiles!), I wonder how many of us bring these up during our conversations with our bosses. Though I don't recall mentioning it in the past, I am going to note in my dialogue that I volunteer as council president for my church, and that in that role I helped write an application that secured my pastor a highly competitive grant for a sabbatical. I'm going to mention that I'm on a patient and family advisory council at the hospital where I delivered my baby.

What about you? Does this feel like bragging? It kind of makes me uncomfortable to toot my own horn, but I also think it's an opportunity to share our strengths and experiences with our managers and see how they might match our abilities with new assignments.

Today I practiced yoga after work; my muscles are tight and sore from the workouts of the past two days, and we all need to stretch physically in addition to professionally (raise your hand if the majority of your professional life is spent in an office chair). In the video, the instructor (Chris Freytag) said, "Yoga teaches us to be patient in uncomfortable positions...hold on." First of all, can I get an "amen?" She's spot on! I had to laugh, and then her statement made me think about how practicing being in uncomfortable positions has helped me remain calm and collected during heated or tense work encounters. Sure, experience helps as well: we've all been there, and hopefully the more uncomfortable situations we deal with the more we learn how to maintain composure and work towards a solution. But it's refreshing to think that we don't always have to be in a leadership role to get leadership experience. Even something as simple as a ten-minute yoga practice before picking up the baby at school or between chores or before your partner wakes up on a Saturday morning can provide some measure of personal growth that you can apply to your professional life.

Isn't that what a stretch goal is, anyway? Something outside of your comfort zone and, hence, something that's uncomfortable? The more patience (and grace -- we all deserve to go easier on ourselves than we do) we can build into our discomfort, the more able we are to pass that grace forward.

Namaste.