Managing Fear To Make It Work For You, Not Against You

Managing fear is something we all do each and every day. The problem we have is that we are doing it unconsciously.

When you experience fear in whatever form you unconsciously act in one of two ways:

FIGHT

You feel the adrenalin rush through your body
You stand your ground
You react with words and actions
You resist the cause of your fear

FLIGHT
- You feel the adrenalin rush through your body
- You make your escape if an exit is available
- You shut yourself down if an exit is not available
- You plan an avoiding strategy to minimise your experience of this fear in the future

Does your organisation encourage FIGHT?

Sometimes the first option can serve you well - Feel the fear and do it anyway - but there is still a price to pay, and that price is stress.

The existence of stress highlights that you are Paddling Upstream (opens new window)

Stress in the workplace is the natural by-product of corporate fear, and although it can stimulate short term activity, it really is the malignant cancer that eats away at business performance.

Does your organisation tolerate FLIGHT?

Is this aspect of corporate fear left unmanaged in your workplace?

Fear of not being good enough is the single most limiting factor in the realisation of one's full potential. Many corporate cultures exacerbate this challenge by applying a strategy of rule by fear.

Many of those companies that know that positive encouragement brings out the best in people, are still not managing fear proactively and therefore fail to manage their human resources truly effectively.

People by their very nature will try to avoid what makes them feel bad. That can be a long list and will certainly include:

Fear of judgment
Fear of criticism
Fear of being ignored
Fear of being shouted at....

The impact of the presence of these fears is the draining away of individual and team confidence which can only lead to sub-optimal performance.

There is a third option - FAITH MANAGEMENT

"Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation. Where belief is passive, faith is active.”

"Take the first step towards your goal in complete faith, knowing that even though you may not possess the capacity to achieve it at the beginning you shall surely acquire it along your journey”

Faith Management is not about eliminating fear, it's focus is on managing fear. By accepting the presence of fear and then developing new perspectives within your human resources, new foundations are created for the realisation of positive outcomes.

If you have total faith in the pursuit of your own goals, and can encourage others to do the same, obstacles and failures will still be encountered but the negative aspects of the first two strategies will be eliminated:

You will minimise stress

Maintaining your focus on the end game energises and inspires productive activity

You will know that you are good enough

By eliminating self-judgment and self-criticism, unlimited potential is allowed to flourish

Where to apply Faith Management?

In an organisational setting true leaders provide an environment in which others want to follow, willingly.

Displaying faith in your teams and colleagues is pivotal to peak performance in all areas of business. If a leader can empathise with colleagues on the presence of fear and offer techniques and processes to adjust perspectives, confidence grows and confidence is infectious.

The Empowerment Process (opens new window) offers a simple yet profound framework for introducing Faith Management.

Make the fear in your workplace work for you, not against you by this time next month.

Explore the benefits of introducing this concept into your business with this High Impact, One Day Workshop - Transforming Employee Confidence in One Day

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