What, exactly, are you afraid of?
Here’s a list. You pick:
- Getting yelled at by your boss.
- Getting fired.
- Having your company closed down due to lack of business (e.g. COVID?!)
- Your company gets acquired and then you get fired.
- Not getting promoted.
- Making promises or commitments you can’t keep.
- Doing the wrong thing.
- Getting caught using the photocopier for personal stuff.
- Not knowing the answer.
Here’s the big news about being afraid of losing your job:
If your strategy is to lie low, do your job, follow instructions, and HOPE that nobody notices you…
A) Nobody will ever notice you.
B) You are actually increasing the chances of something bad actually happening.
If, on the other hand, you develop a reputation as the person who:
- is pushing the envelope,
- taking intelligent initiatives,
- challenges yourself and your organization to go to the next level, as well as
- uses your influence to get good stuff done,
… then you’ll have some of the world’s best job security!
If you never pretend to know all the answers, nobody will judge you when you say,
“I don’t know. I will find out by the end of the day though.”
And, IF you surround yourself with a team that depends on you to lead them through the next big thing and the bad times, you all benefit.
Because here’s what I know for sure:
You can’t shrink your way to greatness.
Excerpts from The Big Moo with permission.