Bookworm Series #11 by Kriszta (@ksolymosi)

Many cases it is our fears that pull us back from changes that we would need to make. Our fears have an obvious evolutionary value, as they may keep us from being endangered or injured, however, despite their ability to keep us alive, our fears can also hold us back. Our fears are the forces that keep us from exploring the unknown or try something new... When it comes to change, our fears are not that useful anymore. If we want to succeed in today's world, we need to step out of our comfort zones.

Don't let emotions slow you down

Let's imagine that your major client just showed up and told you that he is no longer happy with your product and wants to cancel your contract immediately. What will you do? Chances are that you would start to experience strong emotions after such a statement. These strong emotions on the other hand "turn off" your rational thinking, so you'd better control them by channelling your thoughts into the right direction.

Scott Steinberg offers a FEAR method in his book, Make Change Work for You. This is an abbreviation of Focus, Engage, Assess and React. Start by focusing on your problem, studying it closely before engaging, assessing the possible options and taking appropriate action.

Useful questions to seek an answer to:

How threatening is this problem really?
Does anyone in your team or in your environment already have experience in solving a similar problem?
Is it possible to find a way to improve your product or service according to the client's wishes?
Or might it be better to simply drop this client and search for a new one?
If this has happened before how did you resolve that situation?

After you made sufficient preparations, it's time to develop an action plan. Analyze what steps you must take and check your resources. Once you've begun your action plan, don't forget to assess outcomes and react accordingly.

By differentiating opportunities and risks, the FEAR model is a helpful tool in assessing emotional situations objectively and produce the best outcome.

Courage is the willingness to take calculated risks

No one is born with unlimited courage, rather it's a skill that can be learned. Courageous people carefully analyze risks before taking action. They also learn from their mistakes and constantly recalibrate their next moves to make them more effective (and maybe less risky).

Willpower is the force behind courage. It is like a muscle - you can strengthen it by exercising it, and this way you can increase your tolerance for risks. But how can you exercise it?

seeking out new opportunities and taking chances
getting involved in new projects
learning new things

But remember that you want to take healthy risks that push your boundaries without extending yourself far beyond your capabilities and qualifications! You have to weigh potential losses against potential gains. Only then you can know which opportunities are worth taking and which are just too risky. Becoming a daredevil doesn't mean being free from worries. Rather it means objectively scrutinizing challenges and making the right bets.

Live in the present to recognize your fears

If you learn to be in the present (here and now), you will be able to detect when you feel discomfort or anxiety. In such cases, you can take time to pause and assess the situation. As soon as you recognize your fears, they immediately lose power over you, because now you can start working on them objectively. If you are unsure whether the facts you present are correct, then you have an opportunity to get feedback from colleagues to double-check them. By adopting this strategy, you effectively turn your worries into sources of feedback. I.e. your fears become learning tools. (Don't forget that your fears help you to consider problems before they even occur.)

Experimentation and improvisation are business necessities

It seems like everyone is looking for a magical formula for success. Luckily such a formula exists, but we tend to overlook it due to its simplicity:

Try - Learn - Try again

And you do this on an on and on... until you succeed. With enough attempts and enough time you'll stumble upon a successful innovation sooner or later. Failure and experimentation are interrelated here: the more you experiment, the more your failures will point you toward a successful solution. Your improvisational talent is worth more than intelligence when decisions have to be made quickly.

Constant invention and reinvention is a coherent part of today's business environment. You must always be willing to change and adapt yourself by learning new skills and keeping your pulse on the market trends. If your company cannot undergo huge changes, small adjustments like regular brainstorming meetings can help push you in the right direction.

Susan Wojcicki from Google has summarised their eight pillars of innovation like this - some simple steps that we can follow:

Have a mission that matters – “work can be more than a job” when you care about your work.
Think big but start small – start at your current level, while never losing sight of the end vision.
Strive for continual innovation, not instant perfection – iteration is a key to success, go step-by-step.
Look for ideas everywhere – on hand-written notes on idea boards or during snack breaks in the kitchen.
Share everything – encourage discussion and re-interpretation of ideas
Spark with imagination, fuel with data – analyse your worthwhile ideas, look at them closer.
Be a platform – a set of layers that can be used by others to innovate and create
Never fail to fail – without failed projects we cannot gain the insights that made others a success.