Feel It & GO THROUGH IT.

We hear and say this all the time in all the variations to convince ourselves of our invincibility and frankly to be able to navigate this wild ride called life - particularly when you’re on your entrepreneurial journey. And no matter what, with all have the mantras, affirmations, books, quotes, prayer and healing ointments, our fear of failure still exists and we can’t run, I mean nothing grows in comfort. 

And guess what?! As with our personal lives a fear of failure, let’s call it FoF (sounds like that annoying colleague’s 'broski' nickname) - will stifle your ability to dive in and address the creativity gap in business operations.

FoF can paralyse decision-making, stifle innovation, and prevent you from taking the necessary risks to explore something new or improvements. 

If you don’t manage FoF well, it can be damaging to your business, here are some ways in which FoF manifests.

How FoF’s Shows Up …

Risk Aversion >> FoF leads to a culture of risk aversion. Folks avoid proposing or implementing new ideas because they fear the potential consequences of failure, can look like reprimands, loss of reputation, or even job loss. As a result, a team might stick to the methods/approaches they know, even when they recognise inefficiencies, because they are concerned that suggesting a new approach could result in failure and backlash.

Inhibited Innovation >> When FoF permeates an organisation, and inhibits creativity and innovation. Maintaining the status quo rather than step up to the, actually, challenge things becomes the norm. If your company is developing products, FoF might lead to a reluctance to experiment with new materials or designs which then lack innovation and no differentiation of your products in a competitive market.

Disengaged Team >> FoF can lead to disengagement among colleagues. When folks feel that their ideas are not valued or that failure is not an option, they are less likely to take ownership of their work or contribute creatively to the organisation. In a customer service team, colleagues might stick strictly to scripts and avoid personalising interactions or suggesting process improvements because they fear making mistakes.

Risk aversion + Inhibited Innovation + Disengaged Team =  Business Suffering

In the long-term, FoF causes … 📉

Stagnation and Inefficiency >> Stagnation of your processes and systems despite the obvious inefficiencies, can lead to increased costs, slower response times, and missed opportunities for improvement. Over time, this stagnation can cause your company to fall behind your more innovative and adaptive competitors. 

Missed Opportunities >> When you avoid risks, potential breakthroughs or improvements that could have been achieved through experimentation are missed. In the long term, your organisation’s ability to innovate and capitalise on new market opportunities is limited without the push that experimentation encourages. .It will only be a matter of time before you become irrelevant while your competitors continue to introduce innovative products, services, or processes, and you just don’t.

Cultural Impact >> If FoF dominates your culture it can be demoralising for your team which manifests as low morale, reduced creativity, and eventually, higher turnover rates. A negative culture spreads and further entrenches risk aversion and stifles overall organisational growth.

This cultural impact will decline colleague engagement which then affects your ability to  attract and retain top talent.

Don’t ignore FoF - make him one of your own. 🫂

To mitigate the impact of FoF in your organisation, you need to actively work to create a culture that views failure as a valuable part of the innovation process. It’s easier said than done, but the ROI on this one is big. 

Normalise Failure as Part of Learning = Openly discuss failures and the learnings gleaned. Demonstrate that failure is a natural part of the innovation process and celebrate "smart failures" where calculated risks provided valuable lessons, even with an unsuccessful outcome. Folks become more willing to take risks and propose creative ideas when they see that failure is not punished but rather used as a stepping stone for future success.

Encourage Experimentation = Implement policies that encourage small-scale experimentation. For example, allow teams to run pilot projects or tests with a clear understanding that failure is a possible outcome and part of the learning curve. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement where ideas are regularly tested, leading to incremental and, sometimes, breakthrough innovations.

Engender Psychological Safety = Create an environment where colleagues feel safe to express ideas and take risks without fear of judgement or reprisal. Encourage open dialogue, ask for diverse opinions, and support colleagues who take initiative. Psychological safety enhances colleague engagement and creativity, leading to a more innovative and adaptable organisation.

Incorporate Failure into KPIs = Redefine success metrics to include learning from failures. For example, incorporate metrics that track the number of experiments conducted, lessons learned, and improvements made as a result. By valuing learning as much as outcomes, you will shift focus from avoiding failure to leveraging it as a tool for growth.

Tackling your Fear of Failure head on, and standing up to and moving through it, will deliver more learning, enlightening, innovation and engagement than not.

When you create a culture that embraces risk-taking and learning, you can unlock the full creative potential of your operations. Not only closing the creativity gap but also positioning your organisation for long-term success in our swift ever-changing globe. 

It will be daunting and difficult at the best of times, but we all know nothing grows out of comfort and while we all want a soft life, you have to do the work and stand in your discomfort to get to the other side. 

Not to worry, it's not all pain and suffering - I can help, I do my best work and feel most like myself when I’m uncomfortable, it’s decades of professional dance training. Which means, I’m here to help and can. 

Give me a shout 🗣️ for a free initial conversation. We can discuss how I can help you grow through your Fear of Failure.

I ❤️ this stuff!

take care of you,

ZB.