by Vanessa Tennyson, PCC, 3CP, SHRM-SCP
“Make the difficult journey into self, being honest and candid about what motivates you and what you are truly expecting from the journey forward. Keep still and be patient for results, reminding yourself that this is not familiar territory. Listen deeply and with intention to what is coming up for you. Then move forward without fear, opening the doors of opportunity that are all around you. You will discover new dimensions when you explore without fear of failure, understanding that everything comes with some risk, and the greatest loss is in not trying.”
-Vanessa Tennyson, 2020
I wrote this statement as I was starting my professional coaching career.
I wanted to articulate what the client may feel when we create a coaching journey together and discovered that fear (fear of failure, success, being under-valued, being over-stated, etc.) can be a major factor in deciding to hire a coach, and also that fear (fear of the unknown, loss of control, being held accountable, etc.) can be a major factor in not hiring a coach!
In his model “The Comfort Zone”, Alasdair White created a visual representation that helps us navigate what fear actually looks like in everyday life.
Our comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to us and we are at ease, and we are (or perceive we are) in control of our environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. In this zone, a steady level of performance is possible.
- Fear is a likely result of stepping out or getting pulled out, of our comfort zone
- Learning & Growth requires stepping out of our comfort zone
As you can see with White’s graphic, in order to learn and grow, we are required to go through the fear zone. This is always uncomfortable and requires a bit of courage to overcome.
However, once we conquer fear, we are able to expand our comfort zone by gaining new knowledge or skills that allows us to grow. This cycle is repeated again and again over the course of our lives, thereby requiring a bit of vigilance and intention with purpose to allow for a continual expansion of our horizons.
This is where executive coaching comes in. A well-trained and experienced executive coach can help you overcome the obstacles related to fear, and open up the pathway to learning and growth.
So the next time you are feeling a bit uncomfortable, ask yourself this question “Could I move more quickly through the fear zone with an executive coach?”
Elevate your Leadership Potential
To learn more about motivation and hiring an executive coach, reach out to Vanessa for a consultation.