Fear: The Silent Productivity Killer

Is fear holding your team members back from sharing their amazing ideas? You’re likely shaking your head “no,” but you may be surprised! Some fear prevails in most workplaces and it’s a silent killer of both productivity and profit.

That’s because fear drives self-protective behavior like avoiding risks, withholding suggestions, and “spinning” information. It can also cause us to focus on being compliant over providing service, preserving the status quo, and hunkering down in our personal silos.

Research tells us employees produce more when they’re collaborative, and they collaborate more when they work in a high trust environment. But, let’s face it, sometimes fear can creep in and make us feel like we can’t speak up. Consider your own experience. Have you ever been in a meeting where your boss barks out a new policy or instruction and asks if anyone has questions or concerns? Did the room go quiet? Did nobody speak until safely hidden in the restroom where they could unload on each other with complete honesty about how they really felt? That’s fear in action. And if you pay attention, you may find the same thing is happening to you and your team.

Not sure your team members are experiencing fear? Check the high trust-low fear and low trust- high fear columns below to get an idea.

Thankfully, there are leaders that put team and business needs first, encourage team members to openly share ideas, and support members collaborating for the success of the whole. Rick, a COO, organized his business to operate this way and it led to amazing results. When IT staff installed new enterprise software, end users rebelled. Rick’s team was quick to engage those end users to salvage the project and produce the desired business results. Rebelling end users spoke up and contributed because they knew they were safe to do so. Trust and absence of fear enabled the business to avoid a costly disaster.

Trust is like a two-way street, and it’s essential for eliminating productivity-killing fear. If you’re a leader, you can make a big difference in the trust your team experiences. But you can’t just expect your employees to blindly trust you—you need to earn it! Employees need to know their leaders are committed to the same goals as their team members. Otherwise, why would anyone put in the emotional investment to produce great outcomes?

To show you trust your team you need to be open, honest, and transparent. No hidden agendas! Secrets are usually kept to preserve power, not to help the team or the organization. Instead, share the big picture with your team and let them decide how to produce results to support it. Support the team taking control of the methods and means for doing the work. Be willing to share appropriate but sensitive information and communicate how much you trust them to handle it properly. Don’t sugarcoat difficult messages or protect team members from bad news. Involve them by asking for their help to resolve problems or make difficult decisions.

Being credible and trustworthy is just as important as trusting others. You earn credibility and team trust when you keep promises and put the team or business unit’s interests ahead of your own. Be sure to support your employees, even when things don’t go well. Always assume positive intent instead of being quick to judge negatively. Sincerely share your personal doubts and reservations as well as your choice to move forward in the face of challenges and uncertainty. Give credit to the team, not just yourself. Encourage others to challenge your decisions or ideas—make it safe to do so! And finally, acknowledge your mistakes and failures. We all make them, and it’s how we learn and grow.

Remember, trust is a two-way street. Leaders who trust and are trusted quash fear, realize higher productivity and achieve extraordinary results, like Rick did with his team!

Kevin Herring is co-author of Practical Guide for Internal Consultants, and President of Ascent Management Consulting. Kevin can be contacted at kevinh@ascentmgt.com.

Ascent Management Consulting is found at www.ascentmgt.com and specializes in performance turnarounds, leadership coaching, and appraisal-less performance management.