"You are caught by what you are running from." – Sam Keen
Does losing your job or not finding a job scare you? For many, the answer would be yes. Now if it’s just a passing thought don’t pass out. I'm speaking of preoccupation and consistent fear. Most people have, at one time or another, considered the reality. In 2011 the reality of this type of change is real-for better or worse. But do you manage your career and life around that fear?
I’ve seen leaders make decisions because they were calculating the most foreboding scenarios. The great fear of job loss controls their every move. This motivation produces mediocre results, and even worse, an absence of credibility with those that follow. And since leaders who hold high positions of power are human, they lead by fear and hope for the best. Sadly, many leaders and managers infect the very people they're supposed to help. So what was once a singular issue is now organizational.
Human beings are skilled at setting up their own kingdoms…complete with impregnable walls and barbed wire fences. We think we're in control. The higher an individual climbs in their respective organization, the more tempting it will become to try to control everything. That’s why organizations are “certifiable” for not catching their people early in the process. For example, teaching them about holistic leadership and the danger fear-based living presents.
If you desire something great (something that leaves you, your family, other people, and your health intact) from a career, then you’re gonna have to risk. Maybe even risk that very career you're hold onto so tightly. I'm a much better human being, leader, entrepreneur because of the risks I've taken. The risks have not always worked out in my favor, but there is no way I would have become what I am without those risks.
Better to get ahead of your fears, before they claim you.