The most common workplace fears and how you can overcome them.
Sometimes fear holds us back from doing the right thing—making the right call. And it’s time to look that fear in the eye, call it out, and step over it—just do the right thing. Here are some of the most common workplace fears and thoughts on how to conquer them.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. And today we’re gonna talk about some of the most common workplace fears we all have to stare down sometimes. Because they hold us back and enough is enough. So let’s name these fears, and show them we’re ready to step on over them.
My nickname in college was “Snappy.” And no—not because people thought I was quick-witted. But because I sang a capella and I literally just snapped louder than the others in my group. I know—as claims to fame go, not the most notable. But my career as an a capellist (oh yes, it’s a word) was one of the great highlights of my years as an undergrad.
I almost missed out on it, though. The first time I was due to get up on stage I was capital-T terrified. What would people think—of my voice, my dress, my stage presence? What if I went flat or forgot the words, or just nose-dived off the stage in a panic?
But I did it. And then kept on doing it. And the rest was history.
I would never have forgiven fear if it had stopped me from getting on that stage. Fear’s a beast. It stands between us and so many great things. And it’s time we took a stand.
In my work, I get to speak with and coach people in a wide variety of companies and industries. And while the work may be different in every company, the things we fear doing—as employees or leaders—are tremendously consistent. And as a result, we’re all missing out on some pretty hot stuff.
Let’s talk about some of the most common workplace fears I see holding people back and what we can do to begin to overcome them.
If you take nothing else away from this podcast, then please take this. Putting up your hand to say “there’s too much on my plate and I really need some help” is NOT a sign of weakness on your part. It signals self-awareness, humility, and vulnerability—all superpowers in today’s world.
Just last week a colleague reached out to me. She was due to run a leadership offsite in a couple of weeks but has some stuff brewing in her personal life and asked if I could run it on her behalf.
Later she apologized. Said she felt awful that this client was depending on her and she couldn’t “hack it” (her words, not mine). Personally, I was kind of shocked.
“Seriously?” I asked her. “You’ve got a ton going on—and the ‘weak’ thing to do would be to underdeliver and disappoint the client! You’re doing what’s best for the sake of the work. Never apologize for that.”
Next time you find yourself fearful of asking…ask yourself—what’s best for the work? Don’t be afraid of asking for help.
Truth or dare. You pick truth? OK. How TRULY appreciated, how recognized do you feel for all your unsung contributions to your company’s wins?
Now dare. I dare you to find a way to talk yourself up—to let your boss and peers know how valuable you are…without being afraid you’re bragging.
Is that possible? Sure thing. It’s all in the positioning.
Bragging would be “sales would never have closed that customer if I hadn’t developed those enablement materials for them.”
But helping people see your contribution is more “It’s exciting to see that new approach we tried in our sales enablement materials really working. After I read that book and picked up that new model, I had a feeling it would be a win for us!”
Can you feel the difference? The former is bragging. The latter is highlighting research you did, a risk you took—and helping people around you connect the dots between your inputs and a winning output.
This matters because it reminds your boss of how important you are—it puts you top of mind for new opportunities, and helps her recognize the value of reading and testing and learning. Your willingness to speak up may help move the whole company forward.
When I peek at people’s calendars these days, it’s all cheddar and no swiss. We feel compelled to book every moment of our day, without leaving a single space for ourselves…and then we wonder why we feel disconnected, uncreative.
We are so afraid that a gap in our calendar represents laziness. But what if it’s exactly the thing we need to reinvigorate our networks and ingenuity?
Start poking holes in your day—opt out of a meeting or cut one in half (you CAN!) and use that time to grab a coffee with someone on another team, to read an article on something compelling, or take an online course.
We need to make these activities “respectable,” to see them as valuable means of pushing our thinking, driving community, and collaborating effectively with other parts of the organization.
So let’s support ourselves and our teams in making these choices for the greater good.
When you’re in a meeting and your colleague has presented an idea and is asking for feedback…do you give it? Like, for real? If you see a gap in her thinking, a risk in her proposal…do you kindly and professionally say it out loud?
Often we don’t. Because we’re afraid of being a dissenter, of not being a team player. Of being unsupportive. When really, we’re calling out the thing now to avoid a risk or making the impact even stronger.
So take the risk. Praise the creativity of the idea, and be additive (ever hear of the “yes, and” philosophy in improv?)
Rather than “no, that’s a terrible idea—it failed to consider XYZ” try “yes, I love how you’ve constructed that plan, AND what if we also pivoted in this direction to avoid the risk of XYZ?”
Does that feel a little less scary?
What other fears hold you back from doing the thing? Shoot me a note at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com—I’d love to hear about the monsters under your desk.