By Daniel Bobinski
In my most recent column, I wrote that fears are a source of obstacles that slow us down or stop our forward progress altogether. When we describe someone as lacking motivation, we’re using bad psychology, because the word motivation means “a reason to move,” and everyone already has reasons to move. What slows people down is either a lack of connection between their internal reasons to move with the goals and missions of the organization, or the presence of fear.
Solving the first problem, the lack of a connection, falls to a person’s supervisor. Rather than manipulate using intimidation, which leads to demoralization, supervisors do better by getting to know the interests of individual team members and then showing how those interests connect with the vision and mission of the organization. We’ll talk more about that in a future column. Today, I want to talk about fears.
The nature of fear
Fears are normal and natural emotions that can be powerful in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, fears can save our lives, such as not stepping out in front of a bus. On the negative side, fears can cause us to avoid stepping out to accomplish great things.
Thus, if we’re experiencing procrastination or a lack of motivation, we should look within to see if unhealthy fears have become obstacles for us.
Identifying fears
If we’ve determined that an unhealthy fear is leading to procrastination, that fear needs to be identified. I know a medical lab technician named Jo who was sometimes called on to do blood draws, but she hated doing them. Her heart rate would increase and she felt overwhelmed as soon as a blood draw was assigned.
Being that blood draws were part of her job, Jo started journaling in an effort to determine why she was so uncomfortable with them. She realized that as a child, she saw her mother wince in pain upon getting a needle stick, and that created a strong emotional impression. It seemed so simple, but the emotional imprint was strong. Fears can be like that.
Minimizing fears
Multiple ways exist for reducing or eliminating the impact of fears. Jo overcame her fear of blood draws by visiting the phlebotomy department on her day off and spending several hours watching the procedure over and over again. After several visits, Jo’s disdain for drawing blood disappeared.
Sometimes just talking about a fear will do the trick. Relaxation techniques can also work. Sometimes it’s necessary to talk with a professional counselor. But fears can also be rooted in fear of punishment. For example, if a supervisor criticizes employees easily, employees may fear stepping out to avoid the verbal lashing. Those situations often call for involvement from Human Resources.
Either way, once a fear is identified and strategies are established for minimizing or eliminating the fear, then forward progress becomes much easier.
To reiterate, it’s bad psychology to declare someone lacks motivation, because everyone has a reason to move, and we all move better when no obstacles exist in our path.
