It’s the week of Halloween so it only seems fitting to talk about fear. But let’s not talk about the fun fear we experience during this time of year that gets our hearts pumping and our adrenaline flowing. What I want to focus on is the more common and often times debilitating negative fear. So let me ask you, have you ever been afraid? We all have fear at some point in time so none of us are alone in this. The problem is fear limits our perspective on life and keeps us from doing what we ought to do. Fear can keep us and our organizations from reaching our potential and being the best we can be. During this Halloween week of spooky stories and scary nights I want to share 3 ways to help dispel fear in our personal lives. Then I’ll talk about how leaders can eliminate it in their organizations.
3 Ways to Dispel Fear
#1 Change Perspectives
Fear often has us focus on the immediate moment, the here and now. Fear has a way of giving us tunnel vision and distracts us from what we’ve been able to overcome and accomplish in the past as well as what the future holds. The reality is that much of what we fear we forget about quickly, even sometimes within the hour. If you have feelings of fear, recognize where your perspective is and change it. Keep a perspective on what matters most in life and what the real danger is if any. Look to the future, reflect on the past, and don’t let fear get you stuck in a small moment in time that will soon be forgotten.
#2 Step Into It
At times when we are feeling fear it can mean we are doing the right thing. Rather than avoid it or run from it, one of the best ways to defeat it is to face it head on. If you are afraid of something that you know is good, than do it! Step into that fear, knowing that we all fear, and that in the end it will make you a stronger, more confident person.
#3 Stop Inviting It
At times we feel fear when we are doing something that isn’t right or at least that isn’t the best thing for us to do. Too often we invite fear into our lives on our own accord. For example, people have always compared themselves to others however social media has increased this human past time in a big way. Comparisons often lead to fears of not being good enough, strong enough, rich enough, funny enough, confident enough, smart enough… anyway, you get the idea. We can eliminate a lot of fear in our life by not inviting it into our life. Rather than spend our time on things that make us anxious and worried, let’s focus our time and efforts on things we know will make us better and allow us to have peace.
As leaders as we overcome fear by changing our perspectives, stepping in to it, and avoiding to invite it in to our lives, we can help those we lead to do the same.
Eliminating Fear In Our Organizations
Fear in our organizations, much like in our personal lives, can slow us down big time and hinder our results. When our teams live in fear it can lead to poor decisions and inaction. When we build a healthy culture, it can eliminate the problems that come as a result of fear in the workplace.
Perhaps the best way to eliminate fear in the workplace is through consistency. Consistency takes discipline and a conscientious effort. We can eliminate fear from our work environment when we are consistent in our behavior including: how we interact with others, how we handle certain situations, how we overcome challenges, and how we do business. This consistency allows our team to thrive and take pride in the services and products they deliver.
So have fun and enjoy the excitement of Halloween this week, and remember to never let fear hold you back from becoming what you and your organization ought to be!
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