Start your year off in the performance zone

“In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” - Mark Zuckerberg

Getting back into work after a break can be hard.

You might be struggling to get back into your routine and engage your brain in work. Or, perhaps you spent time setting your goals and planning your year and you’re full speed raring to go. There is, however, an optimum approach somewhere between these two scenarios - we call this hitting ‘The Performance Zone’.

The ‘Performance Zone’ sits between the ‘Comfort Zone’ and the ‘Danger Zone’.

It’s easy to hang out in your Comfort Zone. We just keep doing what we’ve always done because so far it’s worked… and there’s no motivation to change. However, sitting comfortable in times of such rapid change can leave you exposed. Your competitors, those working in the Performance Zone, setting goals and making incremental changes and improvements, could squeeze you out.

Working in The Performance Zone enables you to break bad habits and form good ones, achieve your goals, and improve the value of your business. When working in your Performance Zone, you’ll be engaged in your work and adopt new learnings, processes and technology to streamline your business and make it more efficient.

Be wary of putting the full throttle down though. If you stretch too far out of your Comfort Zone, past the Performance Zone, you may find yourself in the Danger Zone. Committing to a massive amount of change all at once can lead to volatility, burnout, mistakes resulting re-work, the loss of a key team member, and cause you to work even longer hours for no gain (apart from stress gain).

The aim is to set goals and implement changes to move beyond your Comfort Zone into your Performance Zone. If you do find yourself hitting the Danger Zone, it’s ok. Retreat back into your Performance Zone… not back to your Comfort Zone. You’re here to improve your business performance, that won’t happen from your Comfort Zone.

This concept applies to your entire team.

Motivate them to work in their Performance Zone instead of their Comfort Zone but have processes in place to prevent their burn out. If you notice someone coming in early, staying late and visibly stressed, find out why. Speak to them about the Performance Zone and offer support to help them manage their workload, prioritise work and reduce their stress levels. Want help reaching your Performance Zone? Get in touch to find out how we can help!