Fear

We're all afraid of something. The two most common forms of fear in business are the fear of change and the fear of failure. For obvious reasons, these two fears can be intrinsically linked.

Being afraid of change is normal. Change in the natural world means danger. Change in our world is only good if we are, ourselves, initiating it. Think about that for a moment. The fantastic changes that you have in store for your hospital may seem wonderful and brilliant to you, but to your team, it will be frightening.

We resist change for many reasons. The first is habit. We're used to doing things the way we always have, it's easy, it takes no thought. It has always worked in the past. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The second is fear of failure. Can we adapt to change? Will the change ask more of us than we can give? Will change upset clients, confuse staff or create uncertainty?

For these reasons, large systemic change should only be done if necessary. If the change does not improve client satisfaction, patient care, or hospital efficiency, then what does it do? If the answer is ambiguous, then perhaps you need to shelve the plan.

If the plan will help your clients, patients or hospital, then you need to allay employee fears. You need meetings designed to address natural fear of change and help them understand the necessity. Change is imperative for a hospital's (or human) success, but it does not come easily.

Fear of failure is a whole different animal. Failure is something that society has taught us is bad.

Most great business ideas never get off the drawing board solely because of the fear of failure. Oftentimes we give failure more weight than success.

When you think about failure in business, it is important that you address what you are actually afraid of. If your plan fails, what will that look like? Will no one be interested? Will it cause the business to go bankrupt? There are all sorts of genuine fears (usually fiscal) and many more amorphous fears (throwing a party that no one attends.)

Failure is a part of any business. The only way to move forward is to take risks. Many hospitals stay in the same place and slowly lose clients and relevance because their owners were too frightened to change. You should always be slightly worried about the status of your business, but it is my contention that your business benefits most from fears generated from action versus those generated from inaction.

A certain level of fear helps spur growth. It will move you and your hospital forward. If you are never afraid it could mean that you are no longer willing to take chances. Businesses hinge on chances and change. Embrace these and even in the face of small failures, your business will succeed.