Beyond Comfort Zones: Embracing Disruption in IC
There are two ways to lead an internal communication function: passively and actively.
Passive Approach—You operate reactively, letting others dictate your course and the nature of your work. You might feel like circumstances just happen to you, preventing you from being more strategic and less tactical. Seeking approval and avoiding disruption become your priorities, leaving you hesitant to commit to a clear direction.
Active Approach—On the flip side, you challenge the status quo. You develop an IC narrative and passionately advocate for its significance. You’re not waiting for opportunities—you’re creating them. You steer the ship, crafting and executing a strategy that aligns with your organization’s objectives. You have both the competence and the competence to succeed.
Throughout my career, I’ve most often seen communication teams embracing the passive approach. Complacency works for many individuals. It can even become “successful,” as I explored in a previous post. What’s dangerous about that is when individuals who take an active approach (myself included) become “disruptors”—and not in a good way. We’re the ones pushing back on communication requests, asking more strategic questions like:
What are your objectives with this?
What does success look like?
What should audiences know, believe, and do as a result of this communication?
Instead of smiling and nodding when asked to “just send out something,” we’re probing deeper, presumably slowing the process down. There’s an education curve for organizations here—and many don’t like it. They’re looking for happy-go-lucky yes people willing to become communication chameleons. Maintaining the status quo is safe, comfortable. It’s called the ‘comfort zone’ for a reason.
Here’s my advice: lean into those moments of discomfort. One of my favorite career advice books is “The Discomfort Zone” by Farrah Storr. She writes that spending time in our discomfort zones helps us grow, improve, and realize our full potential. And you know what? It does the same thing for organizations too.
If we all stuck to the status quo for internal communication, doing only what we’ve done before, we’d still be chiseling on stone tablets and sending messages via carrier pigeons. Consider the inefficiencies in both activities. No thank you.
So, get out there, ask your strategic questions. Challenge the status quo. The right organizations will wake up and realize that your way is better. The wrong ones aren’t worth any more of your time.
