Dear Entrepreneur, Everything you want is on the other side of fear. America’s #1 Success Coach Jack Canfield says rather correctly that we, humans, are so complex and the most powerfully toxic emotion that drives us is FEAR.
Some people are almost phobic about FAILURE, and unknowingly, they slide from one failure to the next because they try to avoid it every single time. They often forget one simple truth, and that is Failure is inescapable. It is just a temporary detour and not an end of ends.
I truly feel that leaders and entrepreneurs often suffer from the fear of SUCCESS and not the failure. Yes, you heard that right. It’s the fear of success that paralyzes and cripples the trajectory of growth.
With success comes uncertainties and changes that can sometimes surpass all boundaries of imagination. It demands immense farsightedness, stamina, and risk-taking ability to tread these uphill terrains.
Also, success can sometimes bring in a whole new level of popularity and limelight. It’s not in everyone DNA to be an object of constant scrutiny and spotlight. The name and fame that’s one of the outcomes of prodigious success are intoxicating to the point that it leads people on a spate of self-destructive behavior.
Success often embodies:
– Fear of Change
The most commonly experienced fears that keep entrepreneurs on the sidelines – fear of taking risks. But, business leaders can’t escape the substantial risks and uncertainty of disruptive business environment because ‘Entrepreneurship’ is nothing without risk-taking. They must embrace and practice agility in times of change to maximize business impact.
– Fear of Decision-Making
The dilemma of decision-making is routinely expected in the life of business leaders, especially when they realize the vulnerabilities & pitfalls of competitive business environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Leaders should develop more integrated thinking to overcome the decision-making challenges because your people will look up to you for direction and solution.
– Fear of Using Technology
Resistance to embrace technologies is one major fear that’s holding many entrepreneurs and slowing down their business performances. Their rigidness towards innovation, changing technologies and business market is so strikingly paradoxical to their growth. Leaders must respond to the fast-paced technological advancements to keep them abreast with the dynamic environment and accomplish their “Next Big Thing.”
To overcome these fear of Success, entrepreneurs must behave proactively because Success demands Agile leadership. They must stay responsive to adaptive planning, changing market trends, advanced technologies and continuous innovation.
Leaders should focus on their aim while staying rooted to the ground in the uncertain business world. They should not shrug off from embarking on this journey of success merely because of hurdles and risks it will entail. Because when you reach the apex and look back, you realize that it was never about the destination but the journey one under took to get there that counts.
A BRAND REACHOUT INITIATIVE: This article is written in partnership with TBM Growth – a boutique growth and business management consultancy firm offers specialized expertise at every phase of the business cycle to help organizations, entrepreneurs and leaders.
Tags: fear of success, grow, leadership, entrepreneurship, fear of failure
