Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Yesterday we discussed The Fear of Disapproval and its effect on business performance.  Over the course of the next couple of days we will examine the last two of the Five Irrational Fears that many Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners face.

Today we are going to examine The Fear of Failure.

Most people do not set out to fail.  Yet it happens all the time.  Although the vast majority of people hate failure some folks become petrified by the mere fact that they might not succeed.  This type of irrational Fear of Failure can often prevent entrepreneurs from taking action.

This fear can manifest itself in a lack of action.  If you are petrified by fear you will fail to take risks, fail to make decisions and fail to adjust to the changing needs of your customers.  This fear will be the death of your business.

A coach can help you deal with this fear in a swift and rational way.  Your coach will sit down with you and help you work through the consequences of inaction which will often fly in face of your fear of failure.  A coach can also help you learn from the misstep you might normally perceive as a failure.

In reality, a mistake is a learning experience and only becomes a failure if it stops you from moving forward.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Yesterday we discussed The Fear of the Unknown and its effect on business performance.  Over the course of the next four days we will look specifically at the Five Irrational Fears that many Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners face.

Today we are going to examine The Fear of Commitment.

Like each of us, you have a strong desire to do what you say you are going to do. The psychological need for your actions to match your words drives you to follow through on whatever commitments you make. That type of commitment implies hard work, and you’d rather not commit than compromise your integrity by failing to keep your word. This is especially true when you make a commitment to yourself.

The psychology of commitment is a mental Catch-22. Your impulse to keep your word – make your commitment come true - is so great that it causes you to avoid making commitments.
 
There are two ways to overcome this fear of commitment. The first is to contrast possibility with probability. If it is probable that you will accomplish the task at hand, then you should be able to make the commitment.

A quick conversation with your Business Coach can help you break through this barrier.  Your coach will help you see the difference between possibility and probability. 

The second way to tackle this fear is to view a large commitment as a series of smaller commitments. This is the one-day-at-a-time philosophy that has proved so successful in helping people break addictions. Your short-term concern is meeting your goal today. Before you know it, your days turn into months and your months turn into years. Each day of success becomes positive reinforcing behavior. In the process, the basis of your fear becomes familiar and is no longer a threat.

Your coach can help you break through this barrier by helping you break your goals down into manageable pieces.  You’ll approach each goal one step at a time.  Before you know it you’ll have accomplished some major tasks by taking simple steps.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Yesterday we discussed fear and its effect on business performance.  Over the course of the next five days we will look specifically at the Five Irrational Fears that many Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners face.

Today we are going to examine The Fear of the Unknown.

You don’t know what the future will bring. You may know that greater possibilities exist, but what you have now is familiar. It’s difficult to give up the certainty of the familiar for the uncertain rewards of the unfamiliar.

Many people who experience this fear will do endless research yet they never take action.  People who fear the unknown will also use the excuse that they are “waiting for the right time to get started” on their new venture.  The only problem with this theory is that the right time never comes. 

The way to break through this fear is easy to understand yet difficult to implement.

To break through the fear of the unknown you need to have the trust and confidence in your ability.  The best way to instill this confidence in yourself is to involve a third party in your efforts.  A detached individual, such as a coach, can help you reflect on the success you have experienced in the past.  This reflection, combined with enthusiastic encouragement, can help you break through the barrier that the Fear of the Unknown can present.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

We all fall into a slump from time to time. The key is not to let your bad mood affect your performance at work.  As a business owner/leader you really can’t afford to have a bad day.  You have to bring your “A-Game’ to work every morning.

Here are five tips to help you break out of the bad mood funk:

Pick the low-hanging fruit.  Do some of the easy tasks on your to-do list.  If you don’t have a to-do list, start by writing one.  The longer the list is, the better.  Write the list in black ink and then cross off the items off as you complete them.  Use a red pen to cross each item off your list.  It may take you a few days to get the entire list done.  That’s fine.  Take some time and reflect upon the list and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from a job well done.  Look at all the red marks on the paper and recognize that you had the power to get them done.

This tactic works for a couple of reasons.  First it gives you a sense of accomplishment because of the volume of work you were able to do in a short period of time.  Second, it will help you build momentum.  Once you get started working you will gradually get into a grove that will help pull you out of your malaise. 

Do some type of physical activity that you are good at. Go outside and shoot baskets.  Go bowling.  Shoot pool.  Go to the gym and work out. Find your significant-other and have a passionate afternoon rendezvous.  All of these things get your blood flowing and they keep your mind off of whatever is bothering you.  The physical nature of the activity brings about positive physiological changes in your body.  You’ll feel a sense of calm come over your body and that will help you clear your mind.

Make some changes in your immediate surroundings.  Rearrange your office.  Change your dress. Shift the furniture around in your living room.  Little changes will help you get into the mindset of making changes in your life.  Once you embrace the physical changes in your life you will be able to make the mental changes necessary to improve your attitude.

Go to the beach.  Get some sunlight.  You’ll be amazed at how the bight sunshine can pick up your spirits.  A brand new day can also bring about a brand new attitude.  Getting some sun (particularly from a walk on the beach) is a great way to shift your mindset.

Write down your negative thoughts.  When you have negative or career-limiting thoughts you should write them down on a piece of paper immediately.  Acknowledge the fact that they exist and that they are hurting your ability to do your job.  Once you do that, throw the paper away.  Acknowledge the fact that the thoughts are gone – gone from your hand (on the paper) and gone from your life.  Dismissing the negative thoughts will help you get them out of your system.

Getting yourself out of a bad mood is important to getting you business on the right track.  Do not let a bad mood effect your business.  

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

There are several qualities that separate people who are successful from people who are mediocre.  The most important of these qualities is a hyper-competitive drive that is almost all consuming.  Chances are good that if you have this natural competitive edge you know what I’m talking about.  In case you do not have it, I will describe it for you so that you can understand what you are up against.

People who have this natural desire to compete - and win – will automatically respond aggressively to any situation where their results can be compared with the results of another person (team, company or group).  This desire is like fuel.  In fact it is like rocket fuel.  It can propel you to unparalleled heights. 

It is this desire that allows the competitive athlete to fight through pain to continue to take the field well into his later years.  If results can be measured the competitive individual must be at the top of the list.  The gam, sport or business challenge is irrelevant.  The motivation is a pure desire to be the best and to beat the “other guy”. 

The intensity of this competitive drive can be overwhelming.  It can manifest itself in physical indications.  Bill Parcels (Hall of Fame American Football Coach) regularly describes the feeling of losing by saying that he gets physically ill when he loses.  Most competitive people will not even participate in a game if they feel that they can’t win because of the negative feelings associated with losing. 

Many people automatically assume that all athletes and leaders have this burning desire.  This is not true.  In fact, very few people possess the aggressive competitive nature that drives the most successful people in the world. This drive is often confused with persistence, grit, guts and passion.  All of those qualities are byproducts of a natural competitive drive. 

 

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