cour·age
/ˈkərij/
noun
1. the ability to do something that frightens one.
2. strength in the face of pain or grief.
fear
/fir/noun
1. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
verb
1. be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.
I believe that people are born with the concept of fear embedded in them; courage, however, is a learned behavior. I’ll have to check this notion with my consulting partner – he’s a clinical psychologist who studies these things. Either way, courage and fear in the workplace are generated and controlled by supervisory behaviors:
· If your boss comes down hard on you for taking risks, you most likely won’t be courageous or passionate about taking chances.
· While he or she may or may not have policies that guide this type of behavior or training programs to prepare you for handling all kinds of situations, it can be a Catch 22 when dealing with customers.
· If your boss is uncomfortable with you using your own judgment in those situations, then he or she should engage in more training and coaching because, no matter what, they won’t be between you and the customer at that moment of service.
· And it’s in those situations that you shouldn’t be afraid to act (as trained) nor do so with confidence (which is a lot like courage).
Best case scenario: have clear policies and even clearer communications, provide training and coaching guidelines within which your peeps can act, support them when they do a good job, and don’t micromanage or second-guess them. Without fear of trite reactions, your peeps will have the courage and passion to try and do great work today.
Orrin Woodward: American systems engineer and multiple patent holder turned author (Launching a Leadership Revolution, and RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE)
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