Jonathan Walker sees two practical ways to grow your career at GEA starting today.
New to GE Appliances, Jonathan Walker can appreciate what it feels like to be outside the comfort zone. At the same time, he recognizes plenty of opportunities to increase the size of that zone as a recent hire.
“People are less inclined to step out of their comfort zone individually,” says Jonathan, senior program/project manager in HR. “By joining an Affinity Network, I was able to connect with people in a new environment which makes me feel better about what I’m doing.”
Besides Affinity Networks, Jonathan, who works in Learning and Development, also sees the tools employees have access to. He just finished up an assignment for a project management workshop available as part of our Supplier Quality University. “You can grow your knowledge and certification in different areas which leads to confidence in taking the next step.”
While the comfort zone is familiar, safe, and secure, outside the zone you’ll find priceless leadership skills like humility and empathy that can help you accomplish big-picture goals. To get outside your comfort zone at work, consider:
- Asking for a special assignment. Challenge yourself to use untapped knowledge.
- Requesting more training through DevelopU or just sign up for a course.
- Becoming an ally through the Affinity Networks. Every time you try something new and allow yourself to be open to whatever experience arises, you expand your repertoire of life skills and self-knowledge. You also expand the size of your comfort zone.
“At GE Appliances, the ability to grow is at everyone’s fingertips if you’re willing to take advantage of it,” says Jonathan.
Need a little courage? Watch this video.
Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone | Yubing Zhang | TEDxStanford
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