“TODAY is the tomorrow
you worried about YESTERDAY“
How does FEAR work?
Fear is a natural yet very powerful human emotion. Fear is the alarm in our head that alerts us to an imminent threat of danger.
Danger can be physical or psychological. Sometimes, FEAR can begin from real threats or imaginary dangers. While most people consider fear a negative word, fear actually plays an important role in keeping us all safe as it alerts us about a potential threat.
Is fear the greatest motivator?
Yes, fear is a motivator. However, it’s not the best motivator for most folks. Have you seen how a deer freezes in a car’s headlights? The majority of humans react the same way when faced with fear. Frozen in place. A lifeguard once told me that most people who drown from being caught up in a riptide do so because of fear and panic, trying to fight it rather than letting it take them out and then just swimming back around it. In fact, the first stage of fear stems from surprise. Additionally, some people don’t get moving until they are confronted with danger.
These types of people thrive while faced with fear. The people that thrive under duress use their fear to keep moving, fighting, and surviving. Pure animal fear is not a very sustainable way to survive because sooner or later it’s going to catch up to you. Being prepared and having a support system around is a much better way to thrive in the long run as opposed to living in fear.
I have used fear as a motivator in my company. This technique is effective for short term results when there is a reward attached to the fear of penalty. However, using fear of a penalty is not usually the best approach for long-term workers. Workers that are motivated by love, wisdom, knowledge, advancement, and self discipline are far more productive in the long run.
Another way fear works extremely well is when I make an example out of an employee by firing them. Then the others in the organization know I am serious when it comes to specific negative behaviors I will not tolerate. The employees will then LABEL you as someone to be taken seriously and not to be played around with. I find that things run much smoother when people know what the work environment culture will and will not tolerate.