Stepping out of your comfort zone and going up for a leadership role can be one of the most challenging moments in your career, but as any established leader will tell you, it is also inevitably the most rewarding.
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Tiana Luvale, broker solutions manager at CGU Insurance has moved into three new roles over the course of her seven years at the company, and says that each one presented an ‘enormous challenge’ and a significant leap from her previous role. However, she says that putting yourself up for positions of higher responsibility is the ultimate road to resilience, growth and success, and that often the key to gaining the confidence is to look at the prospective role under a different lens.
“When I reflect on my career journey, I can see that every time I have stepped out of my comfort zone I have experienced the most rewarding kind of personal and professional growth,” Luvale told Insurance Business.
“In my younger years I was shy to put myself forward for any kind of leadership opportunity, however I’ve since learned that if you don’t back yourself nobody else will do it for you! I think it’s natural for people to avoid discomfort, but in my experience when you choose to stay within your comfort zone you become stagnant and your ability to create and innovate deteriorates.”
“Each time, I had to be encouraged to apply because - like many women - I see only what I can’t do, not what I can bring to the role,” Luvale continued.
“But when I’ve taken that leap of faith it’s resulted in huge learning and development, which is something that I am very proud of. I actually enjoy being outside my comfort zone now, because I know I will be stronger, more resilient and personally fulfilled in the longer term. On this basis, I would encourage all future female leaders to always back themselves and know that the discomfort is only temporary. Give yourself the necessary time and space to settle into the role and eventually it gets easier.
“As the saying goes, ‘no grit, no pearl’.”
