Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable 

A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.

How many of us can relate to this? It took me a while to realise that whilst its comfortable, easy, safe and beautiful, its not a place of growth.

I loved my first six years at Tripadvisor. I was established, an expert, respected, and valued, everything you strive to feel in your career.  But, I was really ready to grow. In 2022 I decided to leave my comfort zone and my wonderful team and join a well-known food delivery company. As a company leading the rapidly growing industry, I was faced with learning an entirely new industry and an alien sector to me, in a brand new role with huge scope, amidst the challenges of the pandemic. Was I crazy? Maybe. Was it tough? Yes. Was it worth it? Most definitely. 

Making the first move

As my twins have grown older, I’ve felt the need to push myself more. This may be to do with parenting not being quite so ‘hands on’ as it once was. The decision to leave Tripadvisor wasn’t easy, but at that point, I wanted to find opportunities to grow and test myself.

It was pretty overwhelming at first. I was grappling with the nuances of a new industry while adapting to a role that was both strategic and heavily data-driven. Going from an environment where I felt confident in my knowledge to suddenly feeling like I knew very little was a difficult place to be. I was managing individuals who understood the business better than I did and on many occasions I felt I was the person in the room who knew the least, which was a far cry from how I felt in my previous role. 

Overcoming self-doubt

Self-doubt wasn’t new to me, particularly as a woman in the industry. And in this new position, I found myself constantly questioning whether I had the right knowledge for the role to make a meaningful contribution. I felt the pressure, feeling like I needed to be fully competent before asserting my expertise which was a huge barrier.

That said, I knew I went there for a reason and that reason was to grow and develop, so I turned my discomfort into an opportunity. It taught me the importance of embracing my existing knowledge while remaining open to continuous learning. It became clear that it’s okay not to be the expert in every room. While I didn’t always know everything, the contributions I made were authentic and built on the knowledge I did have. I was reminded that I wasn’t there to know it all, but I was there to bring new expertise for others to learn from. 

Modelling resilience

Helping others grow has always been a passion of mine. I’ve been a mentor for many years and find it rewarding to pay it forward. What I didn’t expect, however, was for that to enter into my personal life. I did a lot of self-learning out of hours and I would talk to my twins about their school days, whilst sharing challenges I was facing in my role and how it was making me feel. They could see the work I was putting in, and I believe it was a real lesson in resilience for them. You can only become what you see. So, for me to connect with my children in this way and act as a role model made it all worth it. 

I am now back at Tripadvisor, in a more senior position, leading the team with new-found skills and a mindset that I can do whatever comes my way. Looking back, in many ways I wish I’d undertaken this journey sooner. While the comfort zone is a beautiful place, I encourage anyone thinking about doing something new to take the leap. I promise, it will be worth it in ways you might not have expected.

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