Mike Prendergast “A Comfort Zone Is a Beautiful Place, But….”

I’ve recently had a lot of free time.  I had spent the past 19 years at KLTY in Dallas/Fort Worth, had a comfortable existence and had every plan on retiring there some day.  But that changed when we found out we were being sold to EMF. For the first time in my adult life, I’m navigating a new career path, figuring out the whole unemployment thing and anticipating what honey-do I need to finish this week.

My wife and I spent a few days with some friends in Denver recently. Side note: My soul belongs in the mountains.  If you invite me to your home and you live near mountains, it’s not a question of if I’ll come but when and for how long.   We were looking through some antique stores in Loveland, CO, my wife’s favorite thing, and I came across this quote on a sign.   

Wow.  How long have I been in a comfort zone in my career?  It was a beautiful place, but like the sign says, I hadn’t grown in a while.  I wasn’t being challenged anymore.  My day consisted of sustaining the work that I had already done, my learning had slowed to a crawl, and I mostly was trying not to run the ship aground.  So much for that, we hit the iceberg anyway…  But God decided I, along with dozens if not hundreds of others all around Salem, needed a change.

Being out of your comfort zone can be a scary thing, but like the sign so succinctly points out, it’s where we grow the most.  I’ve seen this in my spiritual life as I began leading a home group at my church several years ago.  It was a scary thing, but it has allowed me to grow so much.  I’ve come to love learning the theology of the scripture, teaching that to others and shepherding those in my group.

Think back to how exciting a new job was, how eager you were to learn and grow and prove yourself.  Now, look at what you’re doing now.  Are you still excited?  Are you motivated?  Are you still learning?  Are you still growing? Are you looking for challenges that are new to you in order to grow your skill set, knowledge or contact list?  If not, you may be in a comfort zone and you’re not growing.

Amazon was originally an online bookstore.  Now they are one of the largest companies in the world and I can all but guarantee that if you’re reading this, you’ve bought something from them.  Imagine if Jeff Bezos had stayed in his comfort zone and just kept selling books only.

I’ve been reading the book “Necessary Endings” by Henry Cloud.   In it, Cloud talks about how endings in our career, relationships or businesses are necessary in order for us to grow and move forward.  Cloud says “Without the ability to end things, people stay stuck, never becoming who they are meant to be, never accomplishing all that their talents and abilities should afford them.”  I had definitely been stuck.  Had I read this book 2 years ago, I may have left KLTY back then.  What do you need to end in your day to day in order to move forward?  Maybe it’s just a bad habit, laziness or contentment.  Or maybe you need to consider a job change.

Since my final day at KLTY on January 31, I’ve launched a new career path.  I’m trying my hand at consulting programming, music and talent and also providing remote music director capabilities for CCM stations.  I started with my first client, KJRN 88.3 The Journey in Keene, TX the Monday after I left KLTY.  And I have a couple more clients I’ll begin working with very soon.  God has already opened doors as I exit my comfort zone.

During this interim time I’ve been able to reassess what I want to do and why I desire to do it. I love Christian Radio.  I love learning what each station is uniquely suited for in their market. I love digging deep into how a station operates, looking at where it can be through strategic planning and figuring out how to get there with a vision and a plan.  I love the music, listening, scheduling, rotations, all that.  I’m a nerd for analytics, give me some facts and I’ll create a spreadsheet for you.  

My ending at KLTY was necessary to get me out of my comfort zone and move me forward, growing me in my love of the industry, my desire to learn and my desire to lead.

As you assess your current career situation, look for the signs of where you are at right now.  Decide what areas in your career you want to grow in, to change for the better, what new things you want to learn or how to grow in new challenges.  Write them down, then work on accomplishing those new goals.

Then ask yourself, are you comfortable?  Or are you ready to grow?  

Mike Prendergast has 29 years experience in DFW Radio, spending the last 19 years at KLTY as Program Director.  His new consulting business includes programming, music and talent coaching/consulting and remote Music Director capabilities.  You can reach him at 214-676-7460 or MPrendergastTX@gmail.com