imapMyTeam Blog

To be great, rethink your default behavior

Several years ago we worked with a division president who was fond of saying to his team “You need to be more comfortable being uncomfortable”.

I loved this phrase because it succinctly describes a very important reason why regular use of your imapMyTeam® application will help you be more successful

That is self-management leads to improved relationships with others; and that serves as a basis for you to be more productive in several ways

Our default behavior is defined by the location of our diamond symbol on the Team Player Grid. Also known as your strengths, it’s where we are most “comfortable” operating.  It is the auto-pilot or cruise control behavior in that if we are not paying attention to our behavior, this is what we are doing. If you don’t think so – ask one of your colleagues, they will validate that for you.

But we are not limited to that behavior. We can be self-aware and self-manage ourselves to behave differently depending upon the person or situation that we find ourselves in. When we push out from this familiar, “comfortable” behavior it feels ‘uncomfortable’ because it is not what we usually do.

It is like suddenly drinking tea instead of coffee; writing with your opposite hand, or picking up a French Horn when you’ve played string instruments most of your life. You know how to drink; but it is a different beverage. You know how to write; but you typically don’t use the other hand. You know how to play an instrument, but not that one.

Learning to “be more comfortable being uncomfortable” is something you can do. Maybe not so well at first, it will be awkward, slower and not feel as sure and steady as usual. But finally it happens- the more you do it the more comfortable it feels.

Never underestimate the significance of the uncomfortable action you are taking.  As uncomfortable as it may feel to you it probably is extremely comfortable to the person on the other side of the interaction– and it is exactly what they need to succeed in their project or situation.

Check out your ‘Team Player’ report in imapMyTeam®.  Make sure to not only look at the strength behaviors in the quadrant your diamond falls in, but the behaviors in the other quadrants as well.

Rethinking those default behaviors and acting on new ones will be a game changer for you because as uncomfortable as some of those behaviors might be- to be truly great- you need to be able to use the strengths we associate with all four quadrants of the Team Player Grid.