Comfortable Prison Walls

My role requires me to constantly be thinking about growth. Growth strategy, growth marketing, customer acquisition growth, revenue growth, etc. By default I'm often thinking about personal growth and development as well (they are intrinsically intertwined). I've spent years working on this specific focus and I've learned a thing or two about growth.

It's important to understand that growth by category, industry, and segment all can take different shapes, timelines, and amounts of efforts. Understanding the ingredients for growth is foundational to setting realistic expectations, forecasts, and scalable models.

Recently, we've seen the success of Tesla as they've become the most valuable automotive company on the planet. In my industry, specifically, I've watched Manitoba Harvest "explode" in growth so quickly! The reality is none of it was quick. We just have short attention spans and don't pay attention until something is skyrocketing. Tesla and Manitoba Harvest are similar to bamboo plants. Bamboo can grow up to 36" IN A DAY! Making it one of the fastest growing plants on earth, or is it? It takes up to 5 years for a bamboo seed to implant its root system before sprouting. Likewise, Tesla and Manitoba Harvest took decades to "germinate" before the rest of us could witness the rapid growth.

Growth takes times, and building a foundation that makes it possible takes meticulous care and discipline.

When I started outlining this topic, I had half a mind to talk about how to grow. The pillars of company focus WIG (wildly important goals). The value of risk, and the importance of vision. Company cohesion, customer obsession, employee engagement and empowerment, the ingredients of growth are vast and comprehensive. Rather than pontificate a topic that others much more knowledgable than I have devoted their lives to educating, I thought I'd take a different approach and address the detractors of growth at an individual level. After all, a company is its people and when growth of the individual is thwarted, so is the whole.

My attempt at a provocative title, "Comfortable Prison Walls," aims to address what I see as the primary antagonist of growth- comfort. Whether personally or organizationally, the pursuit of comfort will always detract* from the pursuit of growth. Comfort is not a bad thing when positioned as part of our reward system (I'll get to that), but it is perilous once it becomes a coping mechanism.

A necessary pause here... For many of us the last year has been one of the most challenging, stressful, unrelenting and turbulent years of our lives. I am 100% against hustle porn. I feel that the majority of what is written concerning personal growth is often devoid of the empathy needed to address present circumstances and environment. That said, we all need to cope, but comfort as a coping mechanism is an anchor that will only keep us from better tides.

There is a reason that we often refer to it as "growing pains." Growth is often unpleasant and uncomfortable. Ultimately, the juxtaposition of growth and comfort is the difference between instant gratification and long term gain, and THIS is where we begin to understand how they work against each other. Comfort as a coping mechanism almost always manifests itself as an immediate opportunity. Stressful day? How about some ice cream and Netflix? There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking in some Cobra Kai while you crush some rocky road. However, this does nothing to resolve your stress. It simply rolls it into the next day (nothing wrong with the occasional cheat day!). Alternatively, growth, will manifest itself as discipline. Exercise, meditation, diet, intentional community/fellowship, all take discipline to incorporate daily, and their rewards are not immediately seen.

"Ultimately, the juxtaposition of growth and comfort is the difference between instant gratification and long term gain, and THIS is where we begin to understand how they work against each other."

What is true for the individual is true for the organization. If you've had the opportunity to be a part of a company fully focused on growth, then you know how contagious that energy can be. You also know that it typically correlates to a high demand for excellence in execution. This builds discipline and pride in ones work. When you're a part of growth bigger than yourself, you know that it requires your own personal growth to scale accordingly.

The opposite is also true. If you've been at an organization that is complacent and flatlined you see comfort measures in full effect. Excuses to call the day early (instant gratification), half baked work, and why? It's all in the habit and discipline of individuals and the greater whole. What you feed will grow.

Every individual and organization needs to name activities that function like an ice bath for their growth.

Growth can be contagious at times, but comfort is a constant, always. Like a magnet, comfort will always pull on you to abandon the ingredients of growth- discipline, habit, hunger. I've adopted the concept of an "ice bath" as a metaphor for pushing against this invisible pull towards comfort. For me, I want to name something each day that pushes me out of my comfort zone and towards growth. This could be a certain number of cold calls (see what I did there ;), leaning into a project that doesn't have an immediate deadline but has long term benefit, etc. These ice baths tear down my proverbial "Comfortable Prison Walls" and shutter me back towards growth. Similarly, organizations with stretch goals, and growth ambitions need to name how they'll escape comfort and stay hungry. If you've ever been a part of a polar plunge, you know they're a ton of fun, more importantly everyone involved joins in because they're in it together. Companies can make their ice bath fun, but it will always be uncomfortable, and that's a good thing for growth!

Final thoughts, comfort as a reward is the goal. That big vacation where you go all out and live it up, go for it! The company retreat in Hawaii for presidents club, hell ya! Comfort is the enemy of growth when it substitutes long term goals with instant gratification. It can thrive as a part of our reward system for staying disciplined, without effecting our dreams. #haveacheatday

*Working from home clothes excluded