I have been having many stimulating conversations with many of my good colleagues about the notion of remaining in the uncomfortable state. We say, the uncomfortable state is where great things happen and where you as an individual continue to grow and learn. If you are not uncomfortable and you remain status quo, as a business owner how can you continue to learn and grow?

For myself, I felt it was time once more to dip my toe even deeper back into the uncomfortable. I recently went back to school to earn my executive MBA from Stern NYU. Talk about uncomfortable. I am in a class with 57 wonderful professionals with such diverse and interesting backgrounds. It is the collaborative nature of business school and the collective ideas we each bring to the table that has my senses piqued at all times. The knowledge I have learned has already benefited my business and in turn my clients. Yes, it is the tactical knowledge, but more than that, it is the development of the relationships and how each one of us behaves in various situations.

In the hospitality business, as an operator it is so easy to put your head down and zero in on the many details without seeing the big picture. Of course the details get us all, it is where the guest experience happens. I urge you to take a look at your overall business strategy and find yourself in situations with your colleagues, your staff, your vendors to ask the tough questions, do the uncomfortable, learn something new and lead by example even if unpopular.

The real learning comes when we find we are uncomfortable… Let us all get comfortable with this.

Happy Comfort…TaraPaige Group