What are the 3 emotional zones?
There are three emotional zones that we all tend to exist within in relation to change:
the learning zone, the panic zone and the comfort zone.
Of these, the one we hear about the most is the comfort zone.
Your comfort zone expands all the time, this is the place that you feel happiest and least stretched, so there is nothing uncomfortable about the comfort zone (normally). When we are growing, we should be in our learning zone as we think about what we are doing and stretch ourselves. I currently spend a lot of time in this zone every day, so I know from experience that it can be exhausting, and that's why it's important that everyone returns to their comfort zone at times throughout the day.
Understanding the comfort zone
Everyone will have a different experience of being in their comfort zone. However, typically, this is the place in ourselves where we feel safe and secure. It's where we are risk-free and able to relax and experience low-level energy. It is also where we exist through our routines and habits (good or bad) because this means we don't need to think. This could also be a place where we experience boredom. When we are in our comfort zone, we are unconsciously competent or unconsciously incompetent. In other words, we don't know what we don't know. This is a place where we don't think about things. To understand this better, think about when you're learning to drive: before you even step in the car, you are unconsciously incompetent; in other words, you don't know what you don't know. When you get in the car, you suddenly realise that you don't know how to drive, so you become conscious about your driving incompetence. After a few lessons, you know you need to use 'mirror, signal, manoeuvre' before you drive, and you consciously think about this as you are driving. Once you have passed your test and have been driving for a while, you stop consciously thinking 'mirror, signal, manoeuvre' and just do it, so you are unconsciously competent at driving a car. If you have learnt to drive, you will probably remember the first time you sat in a car and realised you didn't know what to do! In that situation, you were clearly outside your comfort zone. Experienced drivers have the opposite experience: they're so familiar with driving they get in the car and drive. They're so comfortable that they drive without having to think about what they're doing; sometimes, experienced drivers don't remember the journey home because it is so automatic for them to drive the route. It's only when we choose to step out of our comfort zone that we need to become conscious and aware again, as this is when we need to think. It's important that we take this step because we step into our learning zone when we do, which is where magical things start to happen. As a leader, it's important for you to recognise when your employees have stepped out of their comfort zone and are unhappy about it, as this is a sign that they have stepped into their panic zone.
Recognising the panic zone
Before we explore the magical learning zone, I want to talk about the panic zone. This is the opposite of the comfort zone and the place where we experience discomfort to a level that it causes distress. I have listed what you may find members of your team saying when they are in their panic zone, so you can recognise it and manage it.
I can't do this!
This is horrible / far too uncomfortable!
I've got butterflies in my stomach.
My palms are sweating.
My heart is pounding in my chest.
I can't think straight!
My head hurts.
I feel sick.
I bet that red rash is moving up my neck…
I know I'm avoiding eye contact, but I just can't help it.
I'm sure you'll agree that the panic zone is not a nice place to be from these descriptions. Typically, this is where you will have illogical thoughts, display a lot of emotionally-based behaviour and where you will be consciously incompetent. In other words, you will know you lack knowledge, skill, or ability. This will have a negative impact on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviour because you are fully aware of your inability to fulfil a task or achieve a goal. This place presents as many problems for us as our comfort zone, but while we might not notice when we are in our comfort zone, most of us will instantly recognise when we are in our panic zone. The trick for you as a team leader is to recognise both the comfort zone and the panic zone so you can raise your team's awareness of it by sharing what you have observed. Your job is then to move them very smoothly into their learning zone.
Moving into the learning zone
One way to move someone very quickly from their panic zone to their learning zone is to work on their language. Typically, the language of the panic zone is negative. It takes someone into their lesser self, a place where their confidence and self-esteem are low. To get them out of this negative emotional state, I make a note of all their empowered language (in other words, their 'can do' language) and compare it to their limiting beliefs (in other words, their 'can't do' language). I then ask them to reframe the negative language into positive language. The more limiting beliefs they reframe, the faster they move out of their panic zone and into their learning zone. This is because the negative and emotional language of the panic zone is replaced by the rational thinking of the logical and positive learning zone. Another method I used to raise my team's awareness of how they were acting, feeling and thinking was to get them into the habit of self-reflection. When someone reflects on their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, they move into their learning zone as they become consciously competent. In other words, they become fully aware of the impact of their thoughts, feelings and behaviour and the positive or negative impact it is having on those around them. However, they also have the ability to change because they are constantly aware of the impact they are having on others. To make them aware of this, ask your team members if they can recall a time when they felt out of control – explain to them about the example of learning to drive. Find out what was happening for them when they went into panic and what they did to calm themselves down so they could get into a place where they were ready to learn. Relate this to the experiences they are having in the team so they can see how to use the same calming strategies here. Once someone is in their learning zone, they are consciously competent. They know what they are doing, they can articulate it to others, and they express positive thoughts and feelings. This in turn allows them to display positive behaviour and take positive action. So, how do you know if someone is in their learning zone?
Here is what you might observe:
High energy levels.
High levels of motivation.
The expression of positive thoughts.
The expression of empowering ideas.
The ability to change and explain why.
Making a positive contribution to the team's performance.
Showing a high level of skill.
Demonstrating good levels of self-reflection.
The key to creating engaged teams is to make sure the team are collectively in their learning zone when at work. To achieve this, you need to highlight to your team the importance of taking time out to reflect on their thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The best time for them to do this is when they are in their comfort zone, which is usually at the end of the day when they are relaxing. When going through any period of change, it's important that you focus on keeping your team's energy levels high. When your team's energy levels are high, it indicates that your staff are motivated, engaged and empowered. Similarly, if their energy levels are low, it is probably because your team feels demotivated, disengaged and disempowered.
Where would you prefer your team to be on a daily basis?
Use these simple tools, and you could find that their motivation is higher for more of the time, making them more productive, open to change and development, and willing to take on new challenges and bigger goals.
That's a win-win-win, helping you, your team and the business.