What Role Does Fear Play In Your Work Life?
By Amanda Galley
Once upon a time I was a radio account executive for the hottest country station in the market. My GM was a dynamic leader who had a knack for making key teaching elements fun and funny scenarios which genuinely stuck with us. One of my favorites was like this: He said “guys, you know why most of us don’t make the extra sales call/proposal/ask? Because we’re “a-skeerd” “. In country radio we favored ourselves as honorary rednecks; so, work with me and channel Jeff Foxworthy for a sec so you can translate “a-skeerd”. He was right. Think about the number of things you don’t do in a day because you’ve talked yourself out of it. Most of us are “a-skeerd” of something. Each of us has our own unique set of fears and triggers because failure is scary. For some fear holds us back and some fear propels us forward.
As marketers, the approach of January always brings a bit of healthy fear as we’re moving into new campaigns, products, contracts, and relationships. Fear is an emotion that is evoked when we move into unknown territory. Your reaction to fear is based on your experience level in that situation. Check out some other opinions on fear:
- Gordon Tredgold, 12 Fears You Need to Overcome to Suceed in Business and in Life: You have the power to recognize, address, and move past your fears.
- Brene Brown, Let’s Rumble: Be brave enough to be your authentic self in work and personal environments. Here is a great list of questions to ask yourself as you enter situations which make you nervous.
- Caroline Castrillon, How to Use Fear as Fuel When Starting a Business: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and process fear as a healthy step (vs. a roadblock) to your ideal outcome.
- Dalila Jusic-LaBerge, Anxiety and Fear Complicate Our Communication and Our Relationships: Understand that we all have our own internal agendas which bring to relationships and conversations our own individual fears. Be conscientious of this as you choose words and actions. What the words mean to you may not produce the outcome you intended. Remember that communication is a two-way street.
I personally try to approach fears knowing that there is a solution and I just have to make the effort to figure it out. Take time out for yourself today to understand your fears and motivations. Your team and your clients will thank you for it!