If business is going along smoothly, we justify past practices and maintain the status quo by saying "If it's not broken don't fix it." However, with that philosophy, will we become better managers? Will it help us keep up with the dazzling changes in the workplace when dealing with our customers, our employees, ourselves?

As managers, it's necessary to get beyond our comfort zone to improve. It's only by going to an unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable places that we will discover growth and wisdom. It's only beyond the comfort zone that we can become better managers.

Here are some tips to go beyond the comfort zone for you and your business.

Differentiate yourself by considering ways to acknowledge the importance of your customers. In addition to sending a gift around the holidays, consider sending "We Love Our Customer" cards on Valentines Day or sending thanks on the fourth Thursday in November with a Thanksgiving Day card.

Get Educated! Learn one new concept. Would it help you if you knew more about QuickBooks? How about learning the techniques of using Google as a marketing technique or a setting up or responding to a blog? Or if you have a diverse workplace maybe now would be a good time to learn something about other languages or customs.

Ponder using a non-traditional workforce. Could it be effective for you to outsource sales? What about clerical work? Does a virtual assistant make sense? When an employee leaves, put some thought into how the work will get done in the future. Automatically replacing the employee with another full timer may not be the best option.

Give to a charity. Is there a cause that resonates with you? Would you like to help prevent child abuse or volunteer to help seniors.The internet makes it easy to do research.

Go to a new event. Maybe a Business after Hours at your local Chamber of Commerce or a Rotary luncheon would be worth a look.

Do you know yourself? You may consider taking a Myers-Briggs or DISC assessment. These tools assist the participants in knowing their communication styles and are eighty five percent reliable.

Persevere over neglect. Is there something about your business that has been nagging at you but you've been unable to overcome the inertia of doing something about it? Talking about it to an empathetic ear may bring focus and action.

Are you in tune with your employees? A recent study suggested that when asked what keeps employees from leaving 69 percent of employees said compensation. However, only 49 percent of managers interviewed felt compensation important to retaining employees. The same study indicated sixty percent of employees thought time and flexibility was important to employee retention while only 35 percent of executives did. Is it time to do a reality check about what truly motivates your employees?

But the most important tip may be this:

Be Kinder. After many a weary mile a man returned from an extended trip around the world. He was asked what the world needed more of. "Kindness," he replied, "Kindness."