Week 46 | Strength Zone vs. Comfort Zone
Where Growth Begins
Leadership is a constant balance between what you do best and what challenges you most.
John Maxwell once said, “Stay in your strength zone, but continually move out of your comfort zone.” That one principle has shaped how I think about growth and how I coach others to lead.
Your strength zone is where your natural talents create the most value. It’s the space where you feel energized, focused, and capable—the work comes naturally, and the results often follow.
But your comfort zone is something different. It’s where those same talents stop growing. Comfort feels safe, but it never produces growth. It protects what was instead of preparing what could be.
The best leaders know how to stay in one and step out of the other.
The Trap of Comfort
It’s easy to drift into maintenance mode—especially when things are working. Teams are stable, systems are smooth, and results are steady. But comfort can quietly dull innovation and initiative.
The truth is: leaders who settle for comfort eventually lose purpose. Leaders who develop their strengths discover greater purpose.
Your comfort zone protects you.
Your strength zone propels you.
The Purpose of Strength
Scripture reminds us,
“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV)
Our strengths—both natural and spiritual—were never meant to stay static. They were given to serve. The more you use them, the more they mature and multiply.
If you spend your career only fixing weaknesses, you might achieve competence. But if you invest in the strengths within you, you’ll grow in influence, excellence, and fulfillment.
Growth happens when we stretch what we already do well into new territory.
The Growth Challenge
This week, ask yourself:
Where have I gotten too comfortable?
What step could stretch my strengths again?
Leadership isn’t about staying where it’s safe—it’s about stepping into the stretch that shapes you.
Because growth begins where comfort ends.
