Staff stuck in a rut? Here’s how you can help them break out of their comfort zone

Whether it’s learning a new skill or taking on a new project, here’s how you can nudge your staff in the right direction 

As a manager, you might have to occasionally coax nervous employees out of their safety bubble to try new things or take on tasks that are outside of their day-to-day. 

But how do you do this in a way that’s supportive, and gets you the results you’re after? We sat down with Save the Children’s director of people and culture, Di Francois, to find out. 

The old carrot and stick 

Organisations’ expectations and needs these days are very fluid, so getting your staff to understand why taking on a difficult project or broadening their skill set will help them keep up in the long term can be a good motivator. 

“Helping them understand that organisations move on and customer and stakeholder expectations change all the time, and if people are continuing to do the same thing year on year, they are potentially actually slipping behind and losing skills,” Di says. 

Make them feel safe 

A lot of the time, staff might be resistant to change because they are worried about failure, so making them feel safe and building their confidence can be a good way to nudge them forward. 

“Helping your staff feel confident about their capabilities, what they’ve already achieved and what you believe they can achieve is important,” she says. 

“Letting them know and demonstrating that it’s okay to fail is also important.” 

Providing support 

Offering different kinds of training or mentorship programs so your staff feel prepared and supported could also be the boost your staff need to break out of their boundaries. 

“That way, they’ve got somebody to get support from at that critical moment,” she says. 

Make it part of your culture 

Frequently talking up the benefits of taking risks or taking on challenges may just inspire nervous staff to do the same. 

“This way it becomes part of your organisation culture where it’s normal to take on challenges and opportunities,” Di says.