3 ways to hack your growth by taking risks
Do you want to know the secret to growth and extraordinary leadership?
It’s being comfortable with the idea of failure.
We often overestimate the risk of failure whenever we set out to achieve. Our fear of failure leads to procrastination and the longer we wait, the more doubt sets in.
“Who am I to attempt this?”
“What will they say when this whole thing goes wrong?”
“I’m not as good as them — why would anyone listen to me?”
Indecision, procrastination, and negative self-talk make up the trifecta of fear. When we’re inactive in the face of fear, we avoid the very thing that will create the growth we seek.
How to Own Your Fear
In short, fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. As humans, we naturally fear pain. We fear the pain of failure. We fear the pain of rejection. We fear the pain of criticism.
So how do you get past the fear?
1. You need to do something that scares the hell out of you.
What have you always wanted to do, but were too afraid? What could you be capable of if fear weren’t holding you back?
The answer is going to be different for everyone. It could be asking for a raise or deciding to confront a friend or family member. Perhaps you dream of changing careers. Maybe you fear radically transforming your business.
No matter your fear, the result will be the same. On the other side of that pain is growth. Tremendous growth. Growth for not only you personally, but for your team or your business.
Your greatness is hidden on the other side of that pain and it’s waiting for you to claim it. Fears will melt away once you’re ready to confront and own the pain.
I feared creating this site and sending out this first newsletter. This fear stems back to events in my adolescence that discouraged me from developing my own voice and making my opinions known. The pain I felt was intense. It was crippling. Every bit of criticism felt like a thousand daggers into my self-worth and my sense of being. The pain caused my mind to become hyperaware of every little mistake and I began to shut down emotionally. But by pushing through the pain, it eventually began to subside and now the fear is gone.
2. Force yourself to commit by talking openly about your plans.
Having led many teams in agile project management, I’ve always loved how there’s a commitment factor built into the methodology. Agile practitioners generally ask the team to plan out work for a two-week period. Each team member stands in front of the group and openly commits to completing their tasks. This practise teaches the team to be accountable for what they said they’d do.
You can use this same trick for finding the growth on the other side of your fears. Make plans to face your fears and tell everyone you possibly can about what you intend to do. When you speak openly about your plans, you’re more likely to follow through.
3. Focus on what could go right rather than what could go wrong.
L. David Marquet writes in his book Turn the Ship Around of risking his career by violating navy procedures through shifting decision-making further down the chain of command. He asks, “What are you willing to personally risk? Sometimes taking a step for the better requires caring/not caring. Caring deeply about the people and mission, but not caring about the bureaucratic consequences to your personal career.”
Over time we institutionalise our collective fears. I see a lot of businesses fail to innovate because they fear harming their existing business. They are conditioned to think of all the negative scenarios but neglect to think of the possible positive outcomes.
Defy the Odds
Leaders without fear seem to defy the odds. We idly stand by, observing them do what appears to be impossible. Nothing seems to slow them down. What we would usually perceive as dangerous, they embrace. And by embracing uncertainty, they usually succeed.
You can be that type of leader too.
Decide to face your fear, whether for yourself, for your team, or for your organisation. Use the tips above to confront the fear that has been holding you back.
I’ll meet you on the other side.
Reggie James is a CEO / Sales Guy at Beaker & Flint where he helps organisations build digital products and guide them on their digital transformation journey.
Have some ideas or questions you want to run by Reggie? Reach out either via the comments below or start a conversation by email here.
