cautious. Then give clear Focus on why it should connecting people. Our direction on how moving work and help good ideas current CEO, Zander Lurie, out of their comfort zone get implemented.” has interviewed at our will help them and the all-hands meetings some BD: “One thing I was organization to grow." of the most innovative, Our experts don’t just live outside their comfort zones at work fortunate to do in my impactful leaders in — they take risks in their personal lives too. Here are some of Getting employees career is mentor people. business, sports, and the things they’ve done outside of work that were outside their to think differently I tell them to find an normal daily lives. government, including internal champion. If you Sheryl Sandberg, Serena “Back in 2000, I bought a Dodge Viper and Even if the benefits of have an idea on how to joined the North Texas Region Viper Club. I met and built Williams, Draymond Green, thinking differently and make something better, and many more.” working outside your comfort zone because I’d never worked on my cars the way say so. When Bill Gates comfort zone are known, founded Microsoft, he It all starts they had. Over time, however, they asked me to become that doesn’t mean it’s easy put competitive teams at the toP president of the club, and I even got into racing the car, which I had never done before.” to do. I wanted to know together and said, ‘Team how companies can offer A, go create a word Our experts agreed “I’m a bit introverted, but I did play in a band the proper environment that fostering a culture when I was younger. It’s the sort of experience that’s kind of cool, processor. Team B, you for work to flourish. do the same. The better of innovation requires word processor wins. The commitment from the and perform. I love music, it’s a huge part of my life. But playing AZ: “Companies need to rest of you guys are out of top down. Supporting understand that innovation employees with resources “I am a massive believer in new life a job.’ Those are stressful experiences, so I travel the globe. My top goal in life is to see and disruptiveness conditions, but they make to try new things, and are necessary to stay you expand your thought helping them, without different things and different people. Just this year alone, I went to Egypt and Poland. Having new experiences pushes me outside relevant. Innovation processes.” micromanaging, when begins with company those ideas don’t work of my regular comfort zone, and provides me a fulfilled life.” culture, and needs to CR: “Given that our out, is critical to having “In my 20s, I got into endurance sports with focus on the customer employee value employees do the best a goal to do an Ironman. I decided to sign up for one at the last minute. It was 100 degrees, and a good lesson that if you cut and the customer benefit. proposition is ‘where the work they can without Leadership needs to curious come to grow,’ our fear. And while it doesn’t through the fat you can still get it done. On the big day, I had the inculcate into their employees foster a culture require an NBA player cheapest bike and no idea what I was doing. It was worth doing though, and I’ve done a couple more since.” managers that when a of thinking outside the box. visiting your company surfing buddies. team member comes up We have a program called meetings to foster an “As my kids have grown, I’ve started with an idea, they should coaching them on different things. I was probably naive on what the Goldie Speaker series, environment of innovation, not say ‘Why’ and instead named after our late CEO it certainly doesn’t seem it takes to teach robotics to kids, but I decided to coach robotics to a team of eight-to-10-year-old kids. It took me out of my ask themselves ‘Why not?’ Dave Goldberg, who loved to hurt. comfort zone, but it’s been a very rewarding experience, and has A few years ago, I went to a surf camp as a ‘bucket list’ item with no intention of surfing again in the icy, shark-ridden waters of Northern California. Yet eight years later, I paddle out regularly at dawn with a group of guys. I get pummeled, but every once in a blue moon I catch a great wave. Surfing really is my courage-building activity. 22 THE EXCHANGE SUMMER 2018 SUMMER 2018