Fear in the Workplace
Fear can be a motivating factor for some, but for others it can be detrimental to their productivity. For me personally, fear is what motivates me on a daily basis. There are certain goals I want to accomplish in my life, for myself and my family, and the fear of not accomplishing these goals is what keeps me motivated to work hard and stay focused each day. As a leader, that can be a challenging position to be in, as you don't have many outlets to express this fear. As for employees, there can be a variety of fears that effect your day to day productivity. While there may be short term benefits to that type of fear, it is not a healthy environment. The fear of mistakes is the most typical concern people have; however, mistakes are a good thing, in my opinion. Being overly critical of your own work and decisions due to fear of failure can be corrosive to your efficiency and undermine your abilities. There are mistakes that you will inevitably make, some that you will kick yourself for and others that may have a larger negative impact on the specific situation. Regardless of the various possible mistakes, an environment where you are fearful of the simple idea of making one will lead you down a path of doubt that will inevitably take over your ability to take control of your decisions and capabilities. A great leader is someone you can go to with mistakes and, while there may be consequences for them, is open to the discussion and the learning experience that mistakes will bring. I will discuss my thoughts on mistakes in a later blog post, stay tuned!
