Decisions

 

Recently I read an interesting perspective on decision making. Consider this…

People think good decision-making is about being right all the time. It’s not. It’s about lowering the cost of being wrong.

When the cost of mistakes is high, we’re paralyzed with fear. When the cost of mistakes is low, we can move fast and adapt.

Make mistakes cheap, not rare.

*Taken from Farnan Street Blog

FEAR

 Don’t fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.

Fear vs. Concern

An athletic department staff member at The University of Texas tells a story about his son sharing his fears with Darrell Royal some years ago.  Apparently, the young man told Royal he was afraid of graduating and finding a job in the “real” world.  Royal apparently replied, “Never be afraid.  Be concerned.  There is a difference.”  He went on to explain, “The difference is that fear is paralyzing.  Concern brings awareness.” 

I have always thought that fear was a normal and even important part of life and in fact I still believe that.   However, Royal’s perspective is good one.  When facing challenges, we do not want to be paralyzed but concerned.  We want to be cautious and aware and responsive but not frozen in fear.  There is a place for fear.  Certainly, we should fear consequences of our actions and ramifications of our decisions.  Our laws and authorities relay to some degree on fear and that is appropriate, but when facing change or obstacles in life fear should not dictate our lives.  Caution yes, fear no.

You don’t have to always be right!

It’s okay to be wrong, everyone is, and it is important to admit it when we are.  More important is the need for leaders to allow those who work for them to admit their mistakes.  Good leaders give people permission to be wrong.  Most people don't admit their mistakes because of fear. They're afraid they won't be forgiven¹.  Good leaders let their followers know that it's okay.  Great leaders even share their own stories of failure.  It shows that they care and allows them to be human.  This permission to be wrong leads to stronger relationships between leaders and followers.  It leads to humility and transparency. 

There are few guarantees in life, making mistakes is one of them.  Allow yourself to be wrong and admit it.  More importantly, allow those around you to be wrong and admit it.

¹ Parsley, Brian, Admit You’re Wrong (brianparsley.com)

Courage

The concept of being brave and courageous usually conjures up thoughts of physical strength and fearlessness in the face of danger.  It causes us to think of fighting for what is good and righteous, but it doesn’t have to be like a scene from The Gladiator.  The fight is often not a physical one.  Being brave and courageous may simply mean taking a stand for what is right.  It may mean being firm and resolute for what you believe.  It is odd, but this kind of bravery can be harder than physical courage.  It can be difficult to do the right thing given the pressures of society today.  However, the impact of doing so can be far reaching, even beyond the issue at hand.  As leaders it is critical that we have courage.  It breeds courage among our followers.  Consider this quote...

“Courage is contagious.  When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened”

-       Billy Graham

Have courage about what you believe in.  It will be contagious.

Fear vs. Concern

An athletic department staff member at The University of Texas tells a story about his son sharing his fears with Darrell Royal some years ago.  Apparently, the young man told Royal he was afraid of graduating and finding a job in the “real” world.  Royal apparently replied “Never be afraid.  Be concerned.  There is a difference.”  He went on to explain “The difference is that fear is paralyzing.  Concern brings awareness.” 

I have always thought that fear was a normal and even important part of life and in fact I still believe that.   However, Royal’s perspective is good one.  When facing challenges we want to be concerned, not paralyzed.  We want to be cautious and aware and responsive but not frozen in fear; there is a place for fear.  Certainly, we should fear consequences of our actions and ramifications of our decisions.  Our laws and authorities rely to some degree on fear and that is appropriate. However, when facing change or obstacles in life, fear should not dictate our lives.  Caution yes, fear no.

Fear

What are you afraid of?  Failure, public speaking, poor health, cold calling, old age, job loss, betrayal, heights, risks, all things that conjure up fear in our minds.  Fear is a great motivator.  When I started my own business several years ago I had a good friend (already a successful small business owner) tell me that he was motivated by fear every day.  He felt afraid of failure and fearful of letting down those who work for him.  Those fears drove him to work harder every day.  Those feelings have motivated me as well over the last six years. 

We all have our fears.  Many of them are business and financial related, others are more personal.  What sets us apart is how we attack and deal with our fears.  Notice I did not say overcome them.  I do not believe that is always possible.  There is something healthy about a certain level of fear.  The objective is to not allow fear to define us or let it paralyze us.  Consider this…

“Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”
-George Addair

Move past your fears!   Have a blessed week…