Much effort is put into creating new and innovative ways of changing organizational structure and increasing connectedness. This work is necessary and rewarding, yet often leaders are faced with nay-sayers and general disregard for the proposal.
One of the most common barriers to change that could result from such initiatives is fear. According to John Kotter of Harvard Business School (HBS), “The fear strategy is aimed at raising anxieties so that a thoughtful examination of a proposal is very difficult if not impossible. People begin to worry that implementing a genuinely good plan, pursuing a great idea, or making a needed vision a reality might be filled with frightening risks—even though that is not really the case”. If humans were only logical creatures, this would not be a problem. But we are not as influenced by logic as we would like to think.
In a recent article from (HBS), John Kotter examines our tendency to let fear dictate our success. In Four Ways to Kill a Good Idea, Kotter explores ways that we unknowingly limit our potential and hinder progress using the same tool: our brains. Read this article by clicking on the link and return to share some of your good ideas that have been “killed” due to fear of change.
