It can be said that life begins outside your comfort zone. Describe a situation when you were asked to lead outside of your comfort zone. What leadership characteristics did you exemplify in this situation that allowed you to succeed?

My team at Global Boutique Bank (GBB) recently hired a new team member, X. Although X did not directly report to me, I was his stand-in manager for his first few weeks on the job, as his direct manager was out of the office, and I thus organized and oversaw a significant portion of his training. Even though I had previously on boarded other employees, I was apprehensive about managing X, as I was still getting used to being a manager and was not expecting to teach and mentor someone almost twice my age who brought considerable experience to the team. As a result, this experience challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone. Knowing I had to put the team first, I was determined to do my best to succeed in an uncomfortable situation.

Therefore, I took the initiative to onboard X to the best of my ability until his direct manager returned. Typically, I created a structured on boarding schedule prior to the start date, but with few preparations made before X’s arrival, I found myself thinking on my feet to resolve problems so he could quickly assimilate to the team. Additionally, I exhibited leadership skills by providing a positive training experience, gaining X’s trust and respect, as I went above and beyond to welcome him to our team. For example on his first day, I showed him around the office and introduced him to other staff while also making an effort to get to know him. In doing so, I could tailor his training (and my guidance) to focus on new concepts rather than things he already knew, as well as cater to his learning style. Likewise, I provided him with training materials and numerous resources to help him learn key tasks and contribute to the team within his first two weeks. Since much of X’s training was complete when his manager returned, she was able to focus on more complex tasks, and our team was able to transition some client relationships to him sooner than expected.

Now, X is one of the strongest team members and has mentioned how much he loves his job. I know that my training was only a small piece of his success, but I do believe that helping him learn his role quickly facilitated his success. Similarly, being his initial guide to GBB developed a great relationship between X and me. I have no doubt my initiative and collaborative nature enabled me to gain his trust and respect, not to mention his willingness to lend a hand. Although this experience was initially challenging and a bit uncomfortable for me, I gained a tremendous amount of confidence in my abilities, as it demonstrated that I am a capable leader, manager, and trainer for our new hires. I also learned how to think better on my feet and how to excel in an uncomfortable situation – skills that will surely be an asset in future managerial roles that are initially outside my comfort zone.