Have you ever been given a project or challenging assignment and you begin to ask yourself the “what if” questions? Or perhaps right from the beginning of the project you “know” it will end in disaster? Well, the majority of the time when we start to over think something, or spend hours planning and strategizing, that is actually fear creeping into our daily lives; resulting in both people and teams being unproductive.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: high-level performers through years of experience have learned to put their fears aside and do what is necessary to get a job done. Even if there is only a 2% chance of success, they take-up the challenge and do it anyway, and 99% of the time they are successful.
Now for us mere mortals who are still dealing with fear-based thinking and obstacles, here are a few tactics you can use to help overcome your fears.
Seek Supporters
This could be anyone from a mentor to a manager. Having someone who has your best interests in mind and who will help you manage your fear is essential. Can’t find anyone in your circle who will support you? Go online and seek out social media circles of like minded people. You will be surprised by how powerful some of these social media groups are at helping you achieve your goals. Also, see my article Who Is in Your Circle?….The Power of Influencers to start improving your group of supporters in the workplace.
Track
For those of you who follow me regularly, know how important tracking is. It serves as a guide to ensure you stay on the correct course of action. When doing something outside your comfort zone, tracking provides you with a great source of feedback and knowledge. When you start to improve your knowledge, fear starts for disappears fast.
Agility
It is essential to have a plan when striving for a goal that seems fearful. However, you must keep in mind that in order to be successful in our “hyperflexing” world, you have to be agile. Seeking a goal, with the ability to pivot is a necessary skill in order to achieve what once might have appeared impossible to achieve.
These are just a few of the skills high-level performers use when taking on an assignment that would create fear in most other people’s minds. Give them a try next time you are assigned a challenging project.
All the best in achieving your highest performance.
Paul
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