Here is an excerpt from an article by Judith E. Glaser for the Vistage blog. To read the complete article, check out other resources, and learn more about Vistage, please click here.
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Fear somehow touches almost every aspect of our lives. It is woven invisibly into the fabric of our existence and often sets into motion a chain of reactions and circumstances that affect the way we think and our behavior, for better or worse, with others.
As leaders we need to ensure that fear does not consume our firms and degrade the performance of our partners. Especially in small firms – where every interaction and ripple effect on the ‘productivity of a culture’ – being able to set the stage for trusting relationships enables you to get in front of the fear-curve and shape your culture for higher levels of success.
Why is this important?
Neuroscientists are revealing – through the use of fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) that when we are afraid, our brain goes into a state of distrust; we close down and move into protect behavior. We are not open to sharing and we are not open to learning. Instead, we become attached to our own beliefs and ideas and are not open to have healthy conversations about what’s really on our minds.
Firms grow when people are open to ‘share and discover’ from each other. Learning what is working and what is not, is the lifeblood of all organizations, especially small firms, where having open, healthy, candid and caring relationships is the essence for sustaining not only strong internal relationships but also strong relationship with clients.
How to Reduce Fear and Build Trust at Work?
The key to reducing fear at work is to eliminate mixed messages— the catalytic driver of fear—through direct and clear communication. WE-centric leaders lift people out of fear, frustration, and anger, the emotions that cause people to disengage from each other.
When people are uncertain of how they are feeling, when they feel disconnected they become reactive, project their anxiety onto others, create more fear, blame others for what is missing in their lives, reject first to avoid being rejected, and disengage. Conversationally Intelligence leaders create a culture that enables colleagues to feel connected, involved in living common values and vision, and trusted. When colleagues feel trusted, they work in concert, they learn from each other, develop higher-level skills and wisdom, meet performance goals, and turn breakdowns into breakthroughs.
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Glaser then explains how to “Manage Three Vital Dynamics”: What to do to build trust.
Here is a direct link to the complete article.
Judith E. Glaser is one of the most innovative “change agents” in the consulting industry. She is the world’s leading authority on WE-centric Leadership. Through her dynamic, interactive and provocative keynotes and leadership summits, she has introduced her powerful transformative technologies to CEOs and their teams at major companies in both the Fortune 500 and 100. She founded Benchmark Communications, Inc. in 1980 as a firm dedicated to working with CEOs and their teams, helping them focus on competitive challenges and opportunities in an increasingly complex business world. In 2007, Benchmark launched the Creating WE Institute to offer new partnering and research opportunities, enabling clients to expand WE-centric thinking in their organizations and harvest new forms of engagement and innovation in the workplace. Glaser’s most recent book, Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust & Get Extraordinary Results, was published by Bibliomotion (2013).