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DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU!

I get to work with a lot of executive management groups across the globe; helping them develop strategies to play a bigger game, achieve more, be more, do more and have more. I find the dynamics and interactions of these groups intriguing. Invariably the first hurdle we have to overcome is the barriers to each individual playing a bigger game.

This week I was working with a group of executives that I have worked with for over two years. We had a group of 18 people working together in a room and I could sense that something was not quite right. I was getting some push back on the strategy and direction from some of the team. Although most were excited, enthusiastic and full of energy, this energy was being undermined by a couple of the players. I couldn’t understand why and was racking my brains to find a reason for it.

Eventually it hit me. Some of the team were out of their depth, we had raised the bar over the last couple of years to the point where some team members couldn’t keep up. The tension I could feel in the room was FEAR, people pushing back because they were out of their comfort zone and scared of what was going to happen.

We all have this experience when pushing the boundaries, stretching for the targets, goals and horizons. If we do not break through the fear we go nowhere. Breaking through is actually quite simple.

There are two things you need to break through the fear barrier. CONFIDENCE and CAPABILITY.

You can build confidence by taking small incremental steps, by getting someone who has ‘been there’ ‘done that’ to support and direct you.

You can build capability by learning and developing your knowledge and skills, seeking guidance and direction from others, developing a plan of action.

When we addressed these two things with the executive team, the breakthroughs they had were amazing.

FEAR is one of the biggest blocks to you playing a bigger game, find a way to overcome it and your on your way to the next level.

Play Bigger