"Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong.”

Those of you who follow my posts here on LinkedIn may have noticed that I recently moved into a new role. I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to step into my first truly global role and to make a difference within my company in a very different way than I have in the past. It’s something I hoped for and worked for (see previous posts!) and achieved. I’m proud of making it happen, prouder still of the relationships I’ve developed that ensured this change was even possible. But do I think this is going to be easy and that I’ve got it all figured out? Nope. No way. No how.?

Growth happens at the very edges of your abilities. You don’t make significant progress in your career by staying within the boundaries of the things that you already know how to do. You do it by pushing yourself beyond those things. By using your existing skills and experiences as the building blocks of the foundation you need to do the next thing – but not ever letting those things confine you to where you are today. I’m taking with me a giant bag of tricks and an even bigger network of relationships, and I’m still stepping into something that will be quite different from my roles in the past. It’s the energy of this new challenge, the excitement of being a little bit out of my element, that fueled my journey to this role and keeps me focused on growing and learning new things.

Ted did the same thing when he brought his love of coaching and a very different kind of football to Richmond FC. Was he completely comfortable making that jump? All appearances and funny quips aside, I’d say he wasn’t. But the energy and excitement of stepping in to the new outweighed the discomfort.

Be like Ted. Step outside your comfort zone.