‘Growth doesn’t come from our comfort zone’: COO David Galea on the fear of change

Chief Operating Officer David Galea on Wednesday shared that change can be scary to many, yet embracing it is an effective way of achieving personal growth.

Recently, Dr Galea, a seasoned consultant and manager, took on a new role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at a company, the name of which he has kept confidential at the time of writing. This marked his entry back into work life, having taken a career break after his time as Managing Director at Dubai-based Master Field Consultancy came to an end last May.

Now that he is three days into the job, he has taken some time to reflect on what a significant change this is for him.

“Transformation, transition, they are all fancy ways of saying change,” he said, before adding that “change can be scary”, so much so that there are many that opt to “avoid it” altogether.

“Getting past that fear is not easy, but it is possible,” Dr Galea continued.

He remarked that this next step is “probably the biggest change” in his career to date.

“Call me silly or naïve, but the magnitude of it is only just hitting. And when it does hit the one thing I remind myself is that I wanted this. I asked for it, dreamed of it, visualised it, manifested it and I worked damn heard to earn the opportunity,” he explained.

Now that he has the opportunity, he stated that he will work hard to prove that he truly deserved it.

“Growth doesn’t come from our comfort zone,” he noted.

Dr Galea concluded by expressing gratitude to the people that helped make sure he had the courage to “make that change and to stay the course”.

Dr Galea holds a Doctor of Law (LLD) in Law and European Studies from University of Malta, together with a LLM in Maritime Law from University of Southampton. He is also qualified in strategic thinking and leadership for growth from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.