This article will not really tell you anything new, for that's not the intention. The driving motive to produce this write up is mainly based on alerting you of the how and why of matters; hoping that the very realization of the human emotion to be discussed will result in actions from your side that may have been long overdue.
Fear is definitely the most important reason why people cease to undertake certain actions. When it comes to fear we get confronted with one of the negative sides of the ability to think. And rightfully so: we manage to come up with tons of reasons why a plan, a product, a more efficient process, a fabulous new venture, or just a cool idea, will not "fly." We are masters in hurdle-construction, and it's this very fact--the mental creation of blockades to reach an ideal--that either paralyzes us toward starting with something that could be wonderful and rewarding, or causes it to go wrong.
Yet, fear should be seen in its right proportions and its legitimate occurrence. Sometimes people will discourage a marvelous plan not out of fear but out of jealousy or conflicting personal agendas! It's up to you to see these possible reasons in their right perspective and--more importantly--to prevent them from dispiriting you, especially if you were the one having the brilliant idea in the first place! Let Churchill's shortest yet most powerful speech be your guide in these and all other situations: "Never, never, never give up."
If you are a manager, especially in a large corporation where you are basically as much an employee as any other, it may be understandable that your approach toward the execution of super-ideas will be somewhat more moderate and reserved than if you were leading your own venture. But even as a middle manager at one of the 2000-plus employee-concentrations you can overcome excessive fear and encourage the phenomenon that has grown out to be one of the most popular buzzword of these days: change.
Now, if there have ever been two conflicting phenomena in existence they are fear and change. One cannot stand the other. More strictly: one cannot survive with the other. Fear doesn't allow change, and change cannot happen if there's any fear present. But if today's world thrives on change, shouldn't that mean that fear has to become taboo? If we are taught to hang our mental running shoes around our neck, like the two mice in the management novel "Who Moved My Cheese?" so that we can run whenever a change in our current situation demands that, then we should also understand that fear--although healthy to a moderate degree--is the big enemy here.
And why did I just state that fear should be acceptable to a moderate degree? Because, like any other emotion, it definitely has a positive side to it: a little fear will withhold us from leaping into every new idea without thoroughly considering the consequences; without developing a strategy, and without having a goal set.
All I'm stating here is that your super plan, which is now collecting dust in your supervisor's drawer, your blueprint for a new procedure that's still hanging at H.R., your report on the new product that was so well-received on last Saturday's surprise appearance, could very well remain at point zero because of somebody's fear. Just make sure that such is not the case and that there are responsible, sense making reasons behind any delay. Everything else can be resolved and accelerated. But fear, even if based on past experiences paralyzes--unjustifiably, perpetually!
Burbank, California; November 29, 2002; Joan Marques, MBA, Doctoral Student
(URL: http://www.joanmarques.com)
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