You Don’t Have To Be Comfortable To Get Complacent
Complacency can look like a lot of different things but, no matter what, it’s still stasis.
You might see someone who looks “successful” only to find out that they’ve completely stopped challenging themselves. They aren’t setting new goals. They aren’t trying to grow. They might believe that they’ve reached the pinnacle of what they can achieve. Looking on, you might agree. It might look like they’ve won “the game” and “made it.” But is that really the case?
Our world is incredibly dynamic, and that means stasis is not your friend. Does it really feel wise to put a cap on your own potential when your company, your colleagues, and your industry as whole are all seeking opportunities for growth? No, of course not! In the best case scenario you run the risk of missing out on what you really have to offer; and of obscuring what you actually want out of your career. In the worst case scenario, you might discover your position of strength and “success” is more precarious than you thought it was. Neither of those are good options, and they make terrible surprises. So don’t be fooled!
At the other end of the spectrum, you might see someone who’s deeply unsatisfied in their work life. They’re mired in resentment towards their company and their colleagues. Believing that their situation will never change, and that “success” has passed them by, they hunker down and build an emotional home in that resentment. They accept that their vision of success is not possible, and then they hold on tightly to their resentment as if it was a consolation prize. Resentment is not a prize! It's a nightmare.
These circumstances look dramatically different, but they are both examples of career-killing complacency. When complacency sets in, I guarantee you that energy, motivation, and momentum are all on their way out. Your ability to be honest and upfront with yourself becomes severely compromised; making it harder and harder for you to show up authentically and fully as your own self-advocate. Unfortunately anyone can fall victim to complacency. Even me.
In 2010 I was in my second year of a leadership program with a Fortune 100 manufacturer. During the program, we all rotated through different roles. It was an excellent opportunity for discovery and for following my curiosities, especially since I had already eschewed more traditional paths. During that second rotation I actually landed one of my dream roles. I became the very first Social Media Manager at this company who was fully responsible for developing everything from policy and strategy, to implementation and growth initiatives. Bear in mind that most businesses and brands were still very new in the social media space. This company in particular was quite conservative and needed a bit of convincing that social media was a viable way to reach their customers. Rather than be intimidated, I found myself feeling incredibly excited. I just knew that I was on the cusp of something transformative. And I was right! During that assignment, my team and I grew their social media audience from a mere 3,000 to half a million customers. I was absolutely beaming with pride and I was sure, down to my bones, that I wanted to keep going in this direction. But then my third and final rotation in this program came around and, instead of asserting myself and speaking up for what I wanted, I just went with the flow.
I tell you this story to explain that being complacent and being comfortable are not the same thing. You can be complacent and miserable at the same time. I didn’t want to do my next rotation. I wanted to stay put, or even jump ship entirely, if it meant getting to dig in to my new passion. But instead, I went along with the program. I told myself that I had my reasons. I wasn’t sure if the value of what I had just accomplished would be obvious to another company, or allow me to command the same salary I’d worked so hard for. So I allowed myself to be shuttled on to my next assignment. At that moment, I had become complacent — and I had a bad time of it, because everything at my core still wanted to make a change. What followed was years of stress and self-doubt. Over time, that dissonance between what I wanted and what I was actually doing wore away at my sense of value and personal power. I consistently underestimated my worth and eventually lost sight of what made me competitive — so much so that I wondered if I could ever move to a new organization. Like I said, it was a bad time.
Accepting that reality as my status quo made reaching for what I really wanted feel practically impossible. That’s what I mean by complacency. My concern around my salary was valid! But was it an insurmountable obstacle? Probably not! The bigger obstacle was accepting my status quo out of fear. Complacently meant I couldn’t be clear-eyed about my choices, my options, and my own potential. That’s why it’s so dangerous. So I challenge you today to stop being complicit in your own stress and misery. Reject complacency and see what you can start imagining.
