Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: fear

  • Thought Leaders Unpacked -> Clutch #1: Focus (Part 1)

    thought-leadersAs I speculated in my post of October 28th, I have now indeed selected Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t by Paul Sullivan to read for our next Thought Leaders Unpacked™ series.

    I have selected it for my own sake more than anything else. While I believe it holds great value for all of us who consider ourselves lifelong learners, I am looking forward to taking the spotlight of Sullivan’s insights and shining it on myself.

    I’m not so concerned that I might not show up well against the characteristics of “clutch” performers as I am with my ability to be honest about where I need to learn and improve.

    Chapter #1: Focus

    As we dive into the first chapter on Focus, I am initially struck by Sullivan’s method of using a single story to explain what all his research on focus reveals. I suppose I expected multiple stories making the multiple points. Once I settled in with his style, I became absorbed with his content.

    My first take-away came from distinguishing between focus and concentration. I would describe concentration as paying attention to one thing at the exclusion of everything else. She was concentrating so hard on her spreadsheet that she didn’t hear her phone ringing.

    Focus, on the other hand, I would describe as paying attention to one thing and seeing everything else in its light. She would not approve the corporate retreat (more…)

  • Listen In -> Avoiding Success. Four Fears That Hold Us Back #5: Fear of Not Being Liked

    More painful for the new leader than probably anything else is being unpopular.

    Accepting a promotion would involve choosing to put myself in this awkward place vis-a-vis my team where my decisions might evoke negative reactions.

    The promotion is attractive because I anticipate being successful, making good decisions, and being enthusiastically appreciated for doing so.

    And yet, deep within, we know reality is not so simple. Reality is that we cannot please everyone.

    A wise question to ask oneself is how will one respond to the negative reactions, both those with substance and those without.

    More germane to this week’s discussion, though, is asking whether you are avoiding the responsibility of leadership in order to avoid the unpopularity that often goes along with it?

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Quote to Consider: Safety Comes With a Price

    quote-to-consider“If you let fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe, expedient and thin.”

    Katharine Butler Hathaway

  • Listen In -> Avoiding Success. Four Fears That Hold Us Back #4: Fear of Harm

    “They’re looking for a fall guy. I’m going to be given the responsibility of turning around the division without the necessary resources and support and then blamed for not fixing what they prefer would stay broken.”

    The third ordinary fear that we try to mask when avoiding success is the fear that we are being used or taken advantage of.

    Exploitation is a management reality. It happens. We use our executives. We take the credit when they perform and point the finger when they fail. I’m not excusing the practice. But it takes place. To deny it is both foolish and dangerous.

    We can choose to step into that reality and treat it as one of many challenges to be faced, or we can avoid that reality and protect ourselves from being harmed.

    The problem with going through our careers protecting ourselves from harm, is that we also protect ourselves from opportunities. In this week’s show, Claudia and I look at how fear of being harmed becomes an excuse for some to avoid new professional challenges. What about for you?

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Avoiding Success. Four Fears That Hold Us Back #3: Fear of Blame

    Politics is a management reality that will give us as much challenge as it does headaches.

    Learning to face reality is a different process than becoming adept at avoiding it. The reality of office politics too often degrades into a no-win blame game. When something goes awry it seems the leaders focus first on whom to blame and then on what happened or what needs to happen next.

    Again, it is normal to experience some fear when such craziness affects your job. We are not interested in helping you not feel something which is perfectly normal to feel when the powerful act like children.

    What Claudia and I discuss in this week’s show is how we actually step away from our own leadership opportunities in order to avoid experiencing this ordinary fear.

    Don’t let the fear of being unfairly blamed hold you back from the very opportunity you’ve been waiting and working for!

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Avoiding Success. Four Fears That Hold Us Back #2: Fear of Failure

    Even if the promotion is long overdue. No matter how qualified we believed we were before receiving the promotion, after we get the promotion the first ordinary fear that we have trouble owning is the possibility that we may not be able to perform.

    I identify the fear as “ordinary” precisely because it is so difficult to name in our culture of pseudo-alpha confidence. We feel we shouldn’t experience fear of failure if we’re ready for the professional challenge of advancement.

    The problem is not experiencing the fear of failure. The real problem is not being able to be honest with oneself about the fact that one is, in fact, feeling fear.

    As a result we sabotage our own success by putting on a false bravado and confidence. We use this superior knowledge of ours to talk ourselves out of accepting the promotion for other reasons. Not enough pay. Not enough budget. A booby trap. A bad boss.

    In this week’s show, Claudia and I look at this ordinary fear and find that we destroy its power by acknowledging its presence. Instead of making up excuses for refusing a challenging promotion, you can step into the challenge and succeed even if a bit nervous.

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Quote to Consider: Too Many Hurdles?

    quote-to-consider“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”

    Samuel Johnson

  • Question of the Week

    How might fear of a supervisor’s response be keeping you from making an important decision that would benefit the team?

    The Question of the Week is offered to increase awareness of one’s personal leadership practices and encourage experimentation with creative alternatives.

  • No Teasing Whore, This Angel

    Inhaling deep wafts of the morning mist, I push my way into the day—that now familiar mix of courage and impotence coloring each step.

    Foreign are the airs of confidence and self assurance that others seem to wear so effortlessly. But I press forward. Destiny’s beckoning promise continues to visit in the night, dancing gracefully along the horizon of my imagination. My appreciation for this encouraging angel erases every suggestion that she is but a teasing whore.

    I am different. I am different for a reason. I am different because I have something to do. I have something I must do.

    First published in Nuance Alley, April 2004.

  • Recession as Change Opportunity?

    Well it seems to be a toss-up among the economists whether or not the U.S. is in a recession. Of course, the semantics are lost on anyone who has already lost their job.

    I hope you are not struggling with the fear and anxiety of job loss. If you are, then let’s get together and talk.

    Sometimes it takes something difficult to force us to take action on something good. I want to suggest that a tight job market may actually be a opportune time to rethink your career direction.

    Instead of passively hoping against hope that you don’t lose your job, take control and use the opportunity to reimagine your professional possibilities. It’s the difference between a posture of worry and paralysis versus a posture of composure and choices. Same ambiguous situation, completely different experiences of it!

    Passion FinderIf you don’t have a copy of our Passion Finder yet, it is an excellent tool for times such as these. Take a look at it now. Get a copy for a struggling friend.

    And, of course, I am available to help you take a more intentional look at your job and yourself.

    On your side,

    – Karl