Fear as a Guarantor of Failure

Fear is often expressed in terms of external phenomena – but in reality it is an entirely internal crisis.  A person may be reluctant to make outdoor plans because they fear it will rain, even without checking the weather report or performing a rational assessment of the probability that rain will occur.   It is not the climate’s fault that a person is inhibited by their fear.

Likewise, many business plans are scuttled because of irrational fear: it is feared that the market will not react as expected, that competitors will outmaneuver the firm, that regulators will interfere, that suppliers and partners will not cooperate, and so on.  When this is based on a careful and rational analysis of the probability of misfortune and the degree of impact, it is risk management – and risk management typically results in contingency plans in case obstacles arise.  When it is an emotional reaction without any research, it is fear – and fear merely causes paralysis and abandonment.

Very often, the fear that prevents action from being taken in a timely manner has nothing to do with practical matters, but is more psychological in nature: an individual fears social embarrassment for failure.   In organizations, a manager fears the disappointment of his superiors, the derision of his rivals, and the loss of esteem of his followers that result from failure. 

Concerns that are logical and rational may be addressed, but those that are psychological and irrational often cannot – no amount of evidence will convince a person that they should not be afraid. Their tendency is to cling to their fear, disputing or even denying the very existence of evidence that their fear is unfounded.

The immediate consequence of fear is stress: an individual is driven for their desire for achievement, but this desire is at odds with the fear that the outcome will not be achieved and that additional damage will be incurred in its pursuit. 

A secondary consequence of fear is paralysis, very often “paralysis by analysis” in which an individual refuses to take action until they can do further research, which they then either delay or avoid which causes further delays in hopes that the plans will be forgotten or become obsolete.

And the final consequence of fear is to achieve the very failure that was feared in the first place.  That is, the fearful man feared that his goals will not be achieved – and by failing to take any action, he ensures that they are not.

Thus considered, any planning effort must consider the reaction of fear, first in the planning staff, and then in the stakeholders whose support must be enlisted to act upon the plan.   Failure to do so will practically guarantee the failure of the plan – if not as a consequence of misfortune, then as a consequence of inaction for fear of misfortune.