Success does not come easily at work. But at the same time it is not that difficult either. Sounds confusing. Sure it does. Oft the reason of failure is not lack of competency. It has more to do with ghosts that plague our minds.
In other words it is the WHAT IF factor at work.
An idea brimming with potential is held back for the fear of being rejected / ridiculed and GOD knows what other fears set free by the mental ghosts. So often an idea/ project/ initiative dies in the womb itself due to the fear of presenting it. It is hence very important to overcome the "what if" hurdle and take the idea on the platform. Allow the taunts to rain down on your idea. If some amount of gang rape happens, be patient about it. Perhaps you may even have to present the same idea in a different fashion. Don't fight or be obstinate. At least don't been seen as being stubborn. Often ideas get killed not for their intrinsic potential but because of the attitude of the carrier. While the idea will hold itself, it is important for you to hold yourself. A congenial persistence is all that is needed and more often than not I have seen ideas sail through. And what if the idea continues to hit the road block. Well in that case there may be some merit in the counter arguments. Understand them and park the idea till its time comes. The point being made out is never allow the what if to get the better of you. Be persistent and enduring.
Another common moan on being given a new task is
- "why should I do this?. What if this new work cannibalizes my time and prevents me to do my things.
Even before the work is measured and its potential comprehended, huge barriers are built at a frenetic pace. But no amount of fencing can rein in the ghosts. They keep coming to haunt you. The ghosts leave behind a deleterious atmosphere which engulfs the entire team and sets in a epidemic of sorts.
So often the perpetrator of this epidemic has no ill at heart. After all he wants to do his thing well and hence is only protecting the quality that he currently brings on to the table. He is well meaning but unconsciously becomes a hurdle for change to set it. What he does not understand is that doing new things and unlocking new value is that which could propel him to advance several steps up the career path. Remember not to protect your things in an organization for nothing is "your thing". It is the organization at the cortex and every thing is the organization's thing. Embracing change is the magic tonic for career propulsion.
Finally resources are attracted and align around value creating processes. Worry more about how the change will create more value and allow the environment to adjust itself. Just as it the story of liquids, organizational resources too tend to find their own levels. You don't even have to seek for them. They will find you instead.
SO BEWARE OF "WHAT IF" AND INSTEAD MOVE ON THE VALUE CREATING PATH"
