How to crush your fears

Being an employer is a huge responsibility. You are expected to know what you’re doing, even though your employees are unique and don’t come with their own manuals on how to manage them effectively.

If you keep ‘winging’ people management, you’ll get away with that strategy some of the time, but when it fails you, dealing with the fall out can be a pain in the ass!

When the trust between you and your employee is broken, battle lines are drawn and it’s likely that you’ll both waste a lot of time, focus and energy on a dispute that could have been avoided.

You don’t have to be a lawyer or a HR expert to know that there is a risk that your employee will go off sick, resign in response to what you’ve done, lodge a grievance, get in touch with ACAS or instruct a solicitor to tell you exactly how you’ve messed up.

You’ll then have to justify yourself to that employee, your co-directors, other employees and potentially a Judge in the Employment Tribunal.

And that’s why many employers avoid tackling issues with people that really frustrate them at work because they fear the consequences of getting it wrong.

It’s classic pain avoidance and keeps you safe, but it doesn’t solve your problems, does it?

Do you remember a tv show called The Kids In the Hall from 1988? There was a character called The Headcrusher who used to express his resentment for his ‘foes’ by looking through his pinched fingers, saying “I’m crushing your head”, then squeezing his fingers together! You could try this, but a smarter strategy for dealing with your people issues is to crush the fear that is holding you back instead.

Fear can be viewed as False Evidence Appearing Real. Maybe the threat that you perceive is not actually there and you’re holding yourself back unnecessarily.

Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, focus on what could go right if you take some action. Consider the likelihood of your worst-case scenario happening. When you challenge your fear, you can then work out what action you can take to mitigate the risks.

And if you’re still paralyzed by fear, get some expert advice before you embark on your next HR mission.

Once you find the right support to manage your issue in a way that you’re comfortable with, you’ll feel less fear, more confidence as a leader, and you may avoid a battle with your employee altogether.