Month: March 2019

Out of my comfort zone

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Photo by Victorien Ameline on Unsplash
Words by Megan Taylor (Guest Blogger)

Today I have my first guest blogger! Below is a blog written for me by Megan Taylor – make sure you visit her blog for more of her great writing –
https://megantaylor.com.au/ 

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Out of my comfort zone.

How am I supposed to define that, I wonder as I look around my kitchen. When almost everything in my world involves me stepping out of that soft place. Be it the microwave with its conspicuously silent touch pad, demanding I memorise its configuration, to the cluster of not dissimilar jars crowding the top shelf in the fridge or the rows of identically shaped tins in the pantry. I have casually drizzled Worcestershire sauce instead of golden syrup on my ice-cream more times than I care to remember, she says with a wry smile.

The fact is, this world is not geared toward someone like me. Someone who is blind or has low vision. This is a world that prizes its sight above all else, and continues to exercise its superiority over my sensory impairment in ever more innovative but often unnecessary ways. Therefore it is difficult to say where my comfort zone begins, because I am seldom within it.

I have a disability that forces my hand at most turns. Be it a simple walk to the café, which although I may have done a thousand times before, and should be able to walk that route without thought, there is no room for complacency. For what if there is a garbage bin, a car, some old furniture, a temporary road works sign, wayward A-frame or any other unknown obstacle in my path that wasn’t there yesterday. Let alone my reliance on the wait staff once I get there, to tell me what is on the specials board, or help me find an empty table. To something more substantial as finding a taxi, a service counter, a previously unknown destination. Let alone navigating a hostile digital environment whereby I have to negotiate and advocate for the basic right to information at almost every turn, or entering a room full of strangers at a networking event.

Okay, so I don’t know anyone who enjoys that last example, however my reasons are perhaps a little different than you expect. The stranger part is easy, given how often I encounter them. Be it to ask for directions, they trip over my white mobility cane because they are too busy looking at their phone, or they grab me at random intervals throughout my day. It is the low level humiliation of not knowing where the registration table is situated, the toilets, the chairs or most importantly the wine. It is not being able to make eye contact, return a smile, or know when someone has put their hand out for me to shake. It is the knowing I am being judged first and foremost on my disability, and what that means to them, based on some misconception or mythical idea and thus I am already at a disadvantage. It is people’s discomfort with my presence, let alone articulation, cleverness or capacity, because it doesn’t fit with their experience, and I haven’t even opened my mouth to say hello.

My comfort zone is so small, sometimes I can barely find it. For example, although tucked up in the corner of the lounge might seem like a fairly comfortable place, it is not, because that is where I go when the rest of the world is too much, and I’m not comfortable with that. I’m not comfortable with the too much of it all. I’m not comfortable with the overwhelm, the able-ism, the inequity the isolation or the anxiety and anger my disability affords. I’m not comfortable doing nothing, but nor am I comfortable when I am doing. Because the doing is always some sort of defense, justification, work around or want for something else. Sure, I find comfort in a good long hard run up a mountain, but I don’t find comfort in having to ask a girlfriend to take me, because otherwise I will be stuck on the treadmill forever. I am comfortable with a good cup of coffee, but I am not comfortable when the barista doesn’t hand it to me directly, and I am left fumbling across a counter, hoping I don’t knock that liquid gold over by accident. I am comfortable designing a park, writing a workshop, or giving a keynote presentation on a stage. But I am not comfortable with being seen as inspirational just for getting out of bed and putting on my hard hat or heels. I am comfortable in the hidden folds of motherhood, but I am not comfortable when people tell my three year old she should look after her mummy because they assume I cannot look after myself. The fact that these things are daily occurrences, doesn’t make them comfortable. All it does is make them normal. Because despite what we are sold regarding the nature of comfort, just because you are outside of its boundaries, it doesn’t mean you are extraordinary, accomplished or empowered. All it means is that you’re not comfortable.

Megan Taylor Bio: 

Megan has always pushed the envelope when it comes to equity and inclusion within her own life and the lives of others. Even as a child, she was not content to settle for less. Her first example of low vision wayfinding infrastructure was implemented at the age of ten. Megan’s interest and experience spans a broad spectrum of inclusive practices, places and spaces. She is just as comfortable creating policy in the boardroom as she is climbing equipment in a park. Her years of participating in the forefront of integration and inclusion of people with disability, along with her extensive behind the scenes work in research, education and the application of inclusive design principles across multiple mediums, environments and sectors, both public and private, give her a wealth of knowledge and lived experience to draw upon as a dynamic and provocative story teller. Now as a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, School of Built Environment at the University of Technology Sydney, she is putting her three decades of professional advocacy and experience across the socio-political and built environment sectors into an academic context.     https://megantaylor.com.au/ 

Imposter Syndrome

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Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash
Words by Fiona Whitehead based on an interview with Mel

Mel shared with me her story about taking on a new and challenging role. 

She mentioned ‘Imposter Syndrome’ which is something a lot of people feel. I heard just this week about wearing an invisible cloak of confidence to get through this phase. An alternative to ‘fake it until you make it’. It is interesting to know just how common this feeling is. 

But back to Mel! 

Mel took on the role of “Launching and leading the WoW Ambassadors globally across Telstra” which “might have been a little out of my comfort zone at first, as it is such a large group and I wondered how I could lead such a large and diverse group while balancing their different needs.”  

I asked Mel why she took on a role that was out of her comfort zone: “Because I believe the WoW Ambassadors are critical to the success of how we embed our ways of working transformation at the grass roots level. I also love engaging people, inspiring them and helping them translate complex messages to enable change.”  

Mel also shared that she is a fellow adrenaline junkie “I’m all about the adrenalin rush of doing something new and testing yourself to see what you’re made of.” 

The interesting thing about doing things that are out of your comfort zone is how often you succeed and even decide to stretch yourself further! Mel has shared that “We now have a significant WoW Ambassador group across every Function and across the globe in Telstra, and at the time of submitting this blog I have plans to grow this network.” 

Part of that process is your changing feelings as you go through the process, these align to Nolle’s Valley of Despair. “Initially I was full of the imposter syndrome, then I was simply excited by seeing the results and growing the network. Now I am just so unbelievably invested, passionate and proud of this wonderful change network.” 

And you may have guessed Mel’s answer to ‘would you step out of your comfort zone again?’ by her responses so far, but just to confirm “Yep, for sure. You only live once and every time you extend yourself and live with the fear of the unknown, you build new skills, experiences, networks and your confidence grows exponentially.” 

And Mel’s last words? 

“In the words of a clever copywriter: ‘Just do it’” 

About Mel: 

WoW Engagement Manager, Transformation & People  
(also a WoW Ambassador)  

I help people unlock their stories and make authentic connections with big ideas. A skilled and highly experienced Communications Strategist, I have worked within many industries and organisations, developing and managing long-term communications and marketing programs as well as providing communications consultancy for mission critical projects for the past twenty years. In each case, my roles have focussed on developing clear channels of communication through periods of transition and transformation. 

If it is broken, fix it!

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Photo by Ruben Mishchuk on Unsplash
Words by Fiona Whitehead based on an interview with Justine

Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is fixing something that is not working even if you don’t (yet) have the skills to do so! 

Justine inherited one of those spreadsheets most people in big companies are familiar with. “Last year I was given a spreadsheet to look after and, knowing nothing about it, I blithely said ‘Sure’. I soon discovered that this spreadsheet was a small part of a manual process for a customer product ordering process – and that I had to track, via emails, who ordered what when, and which bits had been done by who, or hadn’t been done yet, or would be done soon by 8 different activation teams.” An increase in volumes meant that the very manual and time-consuming process was no longer good enough. “Knowing that this was only meant to be 5% of my time, I decided it needed a proper ticketing system. But hey, who am I to move a process part (with hundreds of stakeholders) across from personal work email to a new ticketing tool?” 

Well who Justine was ended up being the perfect person for the task! “I figured if I could lift this part of the process out of email then everyone would have clear visibility of exactly what was ordered when, and who was responsible, and what status that part of the order was at. Also, if I did the work myself it would be implemented faster, be tailored to exactly what was needed, easier to make iterative changes, and be the lowest cost.” 

Justine proceeded to get the access and knowledge she needed to get the job done. 

And the outcome? “Success! Only it’s better as everyone has visibility at any time. And there is no need to email 97 people about what the status is. Information is collected and displayed in a consistent way, in one location, and with a history. Others have told me that this way of doing things is much better.” 

Despite the emotional ups and downs (from nervous but determined to bloody-minded and finally quietly satisfied) Justine would certainly step out of her comfort zone again! “Because its madness to keep going when something just isn’t working – if you keep doing the same things the same way you’re going to get the same results. This big risk taught me a lot of technical skills and showed me how to work well with the human interfaces into automation.” 

And Justine’s advice for anyone planning a similar step? 

“It helps if you focus more on the thing you want to achieve rather than what people think of you. Putting personal nerves aside, and knowing that what I was doing would help others kept me going when I did not get support or was criticised. All advice after that is the usual:  Be ok with failing. Be ok with things taking longer and being harder than you expect. Enjoy the learning journey.  Know who your stakeholders are. Look for support from the decision maker stakeholders before you make changes.  But be prepared to just jump ahead when forgiveness is easier than permission when people may not have fully caught your vision yet.” 

And, of course Justine’s last words: 

“Although scary at first, courage to do what is better is what eventually brings others along with you. Going out of your comfort zone is a building block of leadership.” 

Justine’s BIO: 

Solutions Analyst, Product Engineering.
Where technology meets people, and imagination creates practical solutions. 

Sliding into a new career

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Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash
Words by Fiona Whitehead

I have had a few career changes, but changing from the career you spent 4 years getting a degree in is a big step. Especially if you only qualified 3 years earlier! 

I loved Radiation Therapy. I really felt I was making a difference, and building a rapport with patients came naturally to me. Maybe too naturally. My ability to empathise was causing me to get quite upset about some patients’ situations or outcomes. The teenager who had just been accepted into the school of dance, who did not yet know that the treatment for her very curable brain tumour would mean she never danced at that elite level again. The young mum who held her teddy bear as we treated her for 3 weeks in the hope that she would respond and go back to her normal self. She didn’t. The nun who shared her story with a nervous patient suffering the same type of cancer. The children. Oh my, the children. Brave or scared, happy or upset. The children broke my heart. 

You may have realised from that little outpouring that I was not able to maintain the emotional distance that would give that career path longevity! 

But what next?  Psychology?  Or would I just get too involved with a different type of patient? IT maybe? But did I really want to go back and get another degree?  

Then fate stepped in. I moved to the UK and signed up with an agency that provided radiation therapists to London hospitals (I can’t recall the name of the agency – but my payslips had owls on them!). In my first meeting they were most apologetic – they had a job but it was not in a hospital. It was user acceptance testing radiation therapy software in a company outside of London. But it paid an extra 2 pounds per hour to cover the travel! I will be honest – I didn’t know software testing was even a thing people did. But I signed up. 16 pounds per hour was not to be sneezed at!

Turns out I loved software testing. The attention to detail, the fact that a dead computer did not cause me to cry, the people I worked with were great, and I worked in an office, without wearing a uniform! 

I stayed as a temp at this company for about 2 years. There was a brief stint in a London hospital between software releases, but working on the treatment machine that treated all the children just reinforced my need to change careers. I moved from UAT testing to system testing as my experience grew. And that is when the two developers I worked with started nagging. ‘Go contracting’ they’d say. ‘I have no qualifications’ I would argue. Back and forth for weeks. They upped the ante by leaving ‘IT contractor’ magazine open on my desk with testing jobs circled and the hourly rate highlighted. Often. And eventually I decided there was no harm in applying. The worst was they would not hire me and I would remain where I was.

So, I applied for 3 jobs. And had three job offers (thank you Y2K!). At double my temp hourly rate. 

In mid-1999 I began what ended up being a 15-year career as a contract tester/ test manager. 

Thank you, Toby and Greg! 

That is where the magic happens

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Words and photo by Fiona Whitehead
Words based on an interview with Victoria

Victoria steps out of her comfort zone a lot. Ranging from big things to small things. We chatted about some of her experiences. 

Seven and a half years ago she moved from the UK to Australia with her husband and their baby. “I guess it was a huge risk because we both had good jobs [and] we owned two homes in the UK, so we could quite easily have just stayed where we were. But we weren’t 100% happy with life and the lifestyle that we had.” 

Their attitude was “Just give it a go. Just try it. What’s the worst that can happen? You move back to the UK and it was hard.” 

Victoria is not a thrill seeker, or an adrenaline junkie, but she feels it is important to step out of her comfort zone in order to learn and grow. 

She also spoke to me about moving out of a role and company she loved, a place where she was very comfortable. “Then Kloud came along and talked about [all this] new technology … and the culture just sounded amazing. 

‘’I thought ‘well I’ve been doing my nice job for a while I could stay doing my nice job or I can take a risk and go through that whole setting yourself up again in a new company’ … I thought about it for maybe half a day and then I’m like ‘Yeah let’s do it, jump in.’” 

“Why did I jump in? Part of me was thinking about the future and future proofing. Technology is changing. And if you don’t change you get left behind. Yeah, I don’t want to do that. 

“Part of it was about changing. And part of it was about getting to try a new culture. Kloud, although being part of Telstra, it still has its own little micro culture, which is still very much like a start-up or a small new company. So, the to get the opportunity to be a part of that culture as well was enticing for me. Being able to use the experience that I gained elsewhere and bring that to Kloud … then develop it in a slightly different way, that was probably the reason why I did it. I just am a firm believer that we have to grow, we have to develop … otherwise you’re not growing you’re dying.” 

Victoria gets through her ‘out of the comfort zone’ feelings (which include feeling sick to the stomach!) with lots of self-coaching. “There’s a lot of reminding yourself what is the outcome that you want to achieve? Why am I doing this? What do I want to learn? Who do I want to meet [at monthly meetings which include networking]? You know that every time I do it, I do it for a reason. I don’t do it just for the thrill because I don’t look for the thrill. But I’ll do it to learn something.” 

Victoria doesn’t forget what she left behind when she stepped out of her comfort zone either “What I’ve also done is I’ve made a conscious effort to still stay in touch with people I used to work with, so I haven’t lost them. I think it’s good to not be too gung ho all the time, but also look back and appreciate the things that have taken you along the way, [things] that you’ve done along the way. Don’t take them for granted and just sort of stay in touch with people and stuff like that.” 

And Victoria’s last words? 

“Everything I do I do with an intent. I started a new business with the intention of building a better future for my family. I moved a country with the intention of making a better life for me and my family and move jobs with a view to improve my employment, and prospective future and to challenge myself … have a reason why you’re doing it and have faith in your ability to do it. 

“Always push yourself outside your comfort zone every day, because each time you do it’s like a muscle. Each time you put yourself outside your comfort zone, it gets a little easier and you grow a bit more and you learn a bit more. And you just develop as a human in all areas of your life. If you are scared, if you stay in the safe zone, nothing ever changes. 

Do it all the time, every day as much as you can get outside of your comfort zone. Because that is where the magic happens.” 

A bit about Victoria: 

Victoria is an experienced Service Delivery Manager with 20 years in the IT industry. Primarily, this experience is across the Financial Services industry however, Victoria has also supported clients within the Media, Oil and Legal sectors and understands the nuances between industries. 

The Perils of Boredom

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Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash
Words by Fiona Whitehead based on an interview with Lisa

Lisa shared a story with me about what happens when you ask for a bigger challenge at work. This can be scary, and was for Lisa at times, but the outcomes can be worth it. 

Lisa “foolishly said to her [manager] that I was a little bored and felt that I wanted to try something new.” Which I think is a great way to get a little push out of your comfort zone! 

“I was working at a very large bank at the time and my 1-up manager decided that I needed a new challenge!  

“Boy oh boy, did I get it!  She asked me to help her run the new transformation program, and my part of it was developing the leadership coaching and mentoring program that would support our leaders during the transformation.  This saw me having to suddenly engage with multiple senior leaders to enable me to understand what their biggest challenges were and how we could support them.  I got to work with a team of psychologists, learning specialists and developers to successfully develop and deliver the leadership coaching cohorts, as part of our leadership academy, with a mentoring program to address our diversity issues.  Additionally, we changed all our scorecard metrics to reflect the new expectations we had of our leaders” 

Lisa both wanted to learn something new, but also help the managers she saw who had not been equipped to cope with the daily issues they were struggling with. 

Some leaders chose to leave the business during the transformation, “However, for those who stayed, we supported them through the program and their journey.  So many of them just wanted a helping hand, someone to talk to and reflect with – a guiding hand to help them change every day.  The outcome was that we turned a business that was bleeding at the core to returning a profit in less than 3 years.  And with it, many leaders who had learnt and grown to go on and inspire others.” 

Despite the fabulous outcome, Lisa questioned herself before, during and even after ‘’reflecting on whether there was more that I could have done’’. But that does not stop her stepping out of her comfort zone. “I have on several occasions.  I do it because that is when I learn the most – not only about myself but also about others” 

And advice for others considering a new challenge? 

“I think that it is different for everyone – you bring your whole self to an experience and you may not have asked for the challenge.  There are some days that you’ll wake up in an absolute panic….and others when you’ll feel like “I’ve got this” – get comfortable with being uncomfortable!  Oh and be curious and not too hard on yourself! 

“Take any opportunity to learn – whether you learn about what to do next time or even what not to do , you’ve still learnt.” 

Thanks Lisa 

A bit about Lisa:

•        Started as a leadership business partner on the transformation journey and ended up running the entire program 

•        Have worked in manufacturing, financial, consulting and telco industries for the past 25 years 

•        Seeing people learn and grow through their journey is absolute fuel for me 

•        I have been privileged to work with leaders from all walks of life and continue to be surprised and delighted 

From the land of the long white cloud

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Photo by Jacob Chen on Unsplash
Words by Fiona Whitehead based on an interview with Jen

I think moving from one country to another is one of the biggest steps out of your comfort zone. That is what Jen did about 6 years ago. 

After leaving New Zealand, Jen and her husband travelled for 3 months and ‘’then arrived in Melbourne with some savings, temporary accommodation sorted and no jobs. I’m a very organised person so not having a clear plan is not my usual MO and not having financial security was … a big risk. Yet I believed I was that I was employable and that I would get a job, then I’d have an income and we would be fine.’’ 

Their recon included a long weekend in Melbourne (is it wrong that I am proud my city can have someone willing to move here after a single weekend?) and lots of research.  Jen believed they would be better off in Melbourne: ‘’ Not sure why or how but blind faith gave me the kick in the pants to make like Nike and ‘just do it’!’’ 

I asked Jen how she had felt before, during and after the experience. 

‘’To begin with it was all really exciting, who doesn’t want to quit their job, sell all their stuff and go travelling?’’ Jen shared with me.  

‘’Once we arrived the reality set in. My husband got a job within two weeks, it took me a little longer. That was hard and bit disheartening. But I kept at it. I used my time to meet with recruiters, improve my interview skills, and to start to build my network. At one stage I was told ‘that was the best feedback I’ve ever had for an unsuccessful candidate’! The uncertainty made it feel Iike an eternity, but within a month I had a job, and within two months we leased an apartment.’’  

I get the feeling this next bit is probably a bit hard for a Kiwi to say, so I will leave it in Jen’s words: “It is hard to believe that all of that happened almost six years ago. After saying we would re-evaluate every three months, at some point we didn’t need to any more. The time has flown by and I wouldn’t change the initial feelings of uncertainty for anything. I made a great life choice. The next big life choice I’ve made is to put in an application for Permanent Residency – at some stage I’m going to have to admit that I call Australia home.’’ 

Jen would ‘’Absolutely’’ step out of her comfort zone again. ‘’I have since that move and I would again. I don’t want to live a life with ‘what ifs’ I’d rather try and succeed or learn from the experience than not risk it. I’ve had plenty of opportunities where I could have focused on what could go wrong, or what I’m not sure about, but I choose to focus on the positives. If the worst-case scenario is I’m told no, then it is still worth trying.’’ 

And for people considering taking a step out of their own comfort zone? ‘’ Someone once told me ‘if it’s not threatening your life, it’s not life threatening’. This is my touchstone for many aspects of my life. What your comfort zone is and what steeping outside of it means will be different for everyone. Take some time to see how far you want to step. That could be having a solo coffee in a café or applying for role you don’t think you have all the ‘required skills’ for. It could be finding your voice to speak up or wearing a brightly coloured shirt. I encourage you to take that first step, you never know where it will take you.” 

Thanks, Jen, for sharing your inspiring story with us. 

About Jen: 

Jenny Brownlee is a Kiwi living in the land of OZ. Almost six years later that one choice to move, has led to many more excellent life choices, and some highlights and hiccups along the way. Pragmatic and positive she describes herself as a storyteller. Everyone has a story to tell, but they can’t always find their voice, that’s where she comes in.