How I escaped my Comfort Zone, and what i gained?

Back in 2001, I started my employment. People that knows me since I was young would say that i am very much a quiet person. I do not say much, and probably will open up only when I am really comfortable with the situation or the people around me. No one would have guessed that I went into "sales". What? Sales? I think you are much better off being a banker or an accountant, they would say.

It was within a pharmaceutical company that I have began my career in. I've started as a sales representative for the company at that time, and spent a whole 10 years in the industry. Throughout my tenure there, I had many challenges thrown at me, but there are also many things to expect at that point of time. I did many times, think of what or where I could have gone, if I took the decision to leave the organization. But it was mere words or feeling, there was no action taken. I continued my career there, and slowly find myself moving up the ladder to supervisory position, and then to the managerial position. There was good things and challenges coming my way, it felt good and seems very promising, so slowly time went by without me realizing, I was already at my 8++ years.

Two consecutive life threatening situations made me realize, there are more to it than this. I came to some realization that I need more in my life. Knowledge accumulation has always been the thing that always keeps me moving. I felt that i need to feel different experience, feel different things. I felt the need for a different challenge and getting a much different sense of achievement. I started a new career search.

Before leaving, I bounced the idea to a few fellow colleague, as to reaffirm the next step I was about to take. Most of them agreed with my move, whilst some, think I should stay on, since I was doing fairly well. I finally took the plunge.

“The only thing that is stopping you from where you are to where you want to go is your comfort zone.” – Dhaval Gaudier

Many of my ex-colleagues would tell me, that if you can survive 10 years in my old organization, you would be able to survive anywhere else. So i took that advise in my stride. But that idea was wrong, dead wrong!!

I took up a managerial position within an industrial chemicals industry. It was a good business to manage but with many challenges as well. For one, it has it's employee that has served 10-20 years, and redundancy seems to be a big problem. The business itself have already plateaued in a sense. There are some business units that is operating just to gain the manufacturing volume, but create further revenue losses due to manipulation. Competitors are slowly eating into the market share, the defense mechanism is very much non-operational at that point.

With challenge accepted, I was not about to back down from a fight. But this was a fight that is totally new to me, it was not the fight that I was used to. This was a fight that requires a whole new skill set and determination. This was a fight internally, as well as externally. There was a need for some attitude revamp, a change management program within the team. It's a hard change for many, as they have practically been doing things the same ways for too many years. We took baby steps for changes, re-nourishing a much more positive attitude within the organization. We nurtured inter departmental cooperation, vital for a bigger whole company win. We nip the bud of business partners that manipulate the systems for their own profits, whilst slowly moving assets internally to much greater use. We increased our knowledge in applications and sold our products more professionally. We reduced the operating expenditure of the company by brainstorming ways of reducing wastage, increasing savings and increase productivity. We finally improved the top end of the organization, after a year plus in.

Much more fulfilling, we took businesses that was traditionally of competitors'. Its was businesses that they have been milking for years, and with our skills upgrade, determination and positive attitude, we took that away from them. They were taken off-guard that a 2nd rank competitor in the industry managed to "up-skill" and beat them off their own game.

It's truly fulfilling when you think of it, a move to a different direction creates so many good life experiences. It will not happen if I didn't take the plunge. It will never happen if we stick to our comfort zones. Getting out of our comfort zones creates much more avenue to live life more richly, learn more and experience more.

Are you ready for your next leap?

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie