Where your fear is, there is your task
Gary Sheader
Founder & Managing Director, The Manufacturers Alliance | A Community of Progessive Manufacturers Making the World a Better Place
What are the typical things people are fearful of in the UK manufacturing sector? (which are probably no different to any other sectors really). The things I hear people say they are fearful of are… taking risks, failure, being vulnerable, getting emotional, change, rejection, losing everything, laying people off, conflict, letting people down, getting embarrassed, and many more. We all have them. Some are small fears, others are big scary ones, but we are all fearful of something. Whatever your fear is, Carl would say… lean into it and learn about yourself. Become more self-aware and understand your shadow self. But what does that mean?
In layman’s terms, he is suggesting that we take a step back and understand what our fear is. Rather than just keep running around the hamster wheel and repeating our behaviour, and getting nowhere, stop and understand what is really going on for you. We are all creatures of habit and need to step back once in a while to check in with ourselves. Some people never do it. Most people don’t do it often enough. Life and work are hard at times and throw all kinds of curve balls at us. Some of this stuff sticks and will beat you down over time if you let it. Or… you can understand what you are fearful of, face up to it and do something to change things.
So, what is your fear? Do you know? It can be difficult to get to know just sat pondering on your own at your desk. I would start by asking for help. Talk to someone about it. Read about it. Watch videos. Listen to audiobooks or podcasts. Learn. And once you feel you are pointing in the right direction (you know what your fear is), put together a plan on how you are going to overcome it.
I think we all know that the first step is the hardest, but at the same time, we have all learned our greatest lessons from adversity and facing our fears… haven’t we?
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My greatest fear has been losing everything, being abandoned and being on my own. Completely irrational, I know. Why would everyone in the world abandon me and I would be left on my own, with no one and nothing. But that’s what it is. And I am working on it and walking towards it. I am understanding it more and learning why it’s there, which is great. Lots of childhood stories and memories that are still affecting me today. Scary and uncomfortable at times, but the process is helping me to learn more about me. I’m become more self aware and understanding how this fear ‘triggers’ me today.
The process has helped me to understand what “everything” is, and it’s not what I initially thought it was. I thought everything was material things and money, but through the exploration I have learned that everything to me is my wife, my family, my relationships and the experiences we enjoy together. It sounds simple, but that shift in mindset for me has been a gamechanger. I have always known it, but my fear was blocking this somehow.
I hope this helps someone and you start a journey of exploring your own fears as a result of reading this. And a big thanks to Carl Jung, because without his passion for psychology and the difference he’s made in the world, I would have never wrote this, and maybe not gone on the journey myself.
I am happy to chat to anyone who is feeling stuck and needs a bit of help. Feel free to reach out if you would like to start the journey with this kind of self-exploration, or just learn more about how I’ve approached it.
Gary Sheader In my experience, manufacturing is exposed to many fears, but the one I have witnessed most is the fear of change (standing still is going backwards!!) which conflicts with the human nature to be settled in the status quo. When I've run factories before and challenged why things are done in a certain way, the inevitable answer was "It's always been done that way!". And yet, when people go on a journey of managed change and realise they can make their own work environment a safer and more efficient environment to work in, the fear of change can be eroded. Not all people will embrace the journey, and time can be wasted on trying to overcome the inertia of the obstinate. Invest time and effort in those who can become catalysts, and watch fear of change diminish. On a personal level, to understand and reflect on others starts with understanding your own position and skillset, and how they can be used to bring out the best in others. Know yourself first, and be comfortable as who you are, not spend time wishing you were someone else...
Transformational Leadership Principal at Motivation Matters Limited
1 年Who would have boiled eggs for breakfast must break shells. Manufacturing as a sector has to make things happen. You need to bring skilled people, materials and facilities together and apply a process. All in the face of a seemingly inexhaustible supply of crises. Fun isn't it. But I find I still wake up thinking about things that happened and wondering why.
Mindset and Executive Coach for People in the Manufacturing Industry, Author, Speaker, Workshop & Webinar Facilitator, Mental Strength Trainer, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) Master Practitioner
1 年Gary Sheader This is so well written. ???? We all have fears and it takes courage to face them and to explore. In North America the people in the manufacturing industry have the same fears and articles like yours will help people to think, to learn and to grow. There cannot be industrial/organizational growth if there is no personal growth. Make it a great day and let’s live life taking our fears head on.