Friday, February 5, 2021

Don't be scared...


“Growth and comfort do not coexist.” Ginni Rometty

 

Long ago and far away I was the HR guy at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City: I worked for great people, loved my job, and was comfortable living and working on the East coast. Then the company was sold, and I had to decide whether to stay there and work for new owners or follow the Nugget team to Las Vegas. And open the Mirage. I’d never lived anywhere but the East coast and moving away from family to Las Vegas was a real challenge to my internal security. And while the chance to open the Mirage was exciting, it was also scary – I hadn’t done anything that big and complicated before. A good friend and mentor advised me to consider the upside and, if the cost was only hard work, it was worth the risk. All of us on that opening team felt the same – balancing growth and comfort. It was a lot of work and way beyond our comfort zones: but that was all good. It kept us on our toes (and often awake at night). We took nothing for granted, realized the powerful advantage of collaboration, left our egos at home and learned that 1+1+1 often equaled 4 or more rather than 3 or less. We never relaxed but learned to be comfortable with the challenge. If you want to grow, then learn to live with a little discomfort today.

 

Virginia Marie "Ginni" Rometty (born 1957): American business executive who retired from IBM on December 31, 2020 after a near-40-year career there

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