Fear and Failure

Victory gives us immense pleasure. It is ingrained in our culture that winning is more important than anything else. Parents push and persuade their kids at school to be the number one in all their endeavours and win at any cost. Is there anything wrong with this approach? Well, a big yes. 

Gerard Hendrik Hofstede, the Dutch psychologist, measured the masculinity index along with other cultural dimensions of various countries. Japan, the United States and India have a higher masculinity index and that tells us how competition, achievement and success drive these societies. Sweden, on the other hand, has a low score, driven by the quality of life and passion to work. The fundamental difference is what motivates people, whether to be the best(Masculinity) or liking what they do(Feminity). The problem with the Masculine society is that we do not learn to cope with the fear of failure. 

I visit the Corporate Toastmasters club regularly. During the table topics session, members and guests are encouraged to talk impromptu on any given topic. I have observed that while the Millenials come forward to deliver their speech with no fear, senior managers hesitate. I opine that they do not want to fail, especially in front of their juniors. We all deter from saying and doing things, as we fear failure and fear the unknown.

The human being as a species has survived all these years. Thanks to the emotion called fear. It kept us safe and away from the dangers in the jungles we inhabited. In the Corporate world, this emotion has become a deterrent in the growth of individuals. We all want to get it right the first time, leaving no space for trials and errors. Trying more often could mean more failures and in the bargain, more learning, getting us closer to success. 

We lean towards religion, astrology, superstitions and ritualistic beliefs to cope with our fear of the unknown. Surprisingly, even the most educated believe in astrology, hoping that it can change their lives often revering mythology as historical truth. Sadly, they use this belief system as a crutch to deal with problems rather than use their critical thinking ability.

“Fail early to succeed later”. 

Leaders of organizations should build a culture that encourages people to fail more often. Creating opportunities and building confidence among individuals to try and fail are the first steps in the innovation process. However, it is daunting for leaders in businesses, especially when they are pressed for time to deliver results with high profits. It would be helpful if individuals overcome their fear of failure by being passionate about work and start to like and enjoy what they do, instead of competing and wanting to win at every opportunity. 

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