Economic uncertainty has brought panic into many businesses.
Financial Planners are stressing over poor returns to their clients.
Engineering groups are being pushed to do more with fewer resources.
Sales are down across many retail industries.
When people panic, they move into one of the two ‘F’ phases:
‘Freak out’, or ‘Freeze up’.
Both of these extreme responses can have a detrimental impact on your team’s work culture, productivity and motivation.
FREAK OUT:
Uncertainty brings panic. For some people, panic causes them to experience a surge of adrenaline where they spring into action.
High levels of adrenaline actually impair your logic and clear thinking. Therefore, ‘Freaking out’ leads to impulsive decision making, emotional responses, and short term strategies.
A ‘Freak out’ response is like being in damage control. You focuses on the short term, immediate solutions that may come back to bite you in 3-6 months time.
SUGGESTIONS for Freak Outs:
- Don’t go with your first reaction
- Force yourself to rethink your action plan – consult 1-2 other people for feedback
- Deliberate reflection will prevent expensive and unnecessary mistakes
FREEZE UP:
Uncertainty also brings fear, which, for some, leads to emotional paralysis.
Panic and fear can make some people feel overwhelmed, out of control, or feeling as if they are drowning. This shakes their self confidence and competence to apply themselves.
A ‘Freeze up’ response leads to avoiding behaviour such as procrastination. They hope that the problem will ‘take care of itself’ and disappear. Such inaction leads to ineffective leadership, poor client relations, delayed work delivery times, and increased personal emotional tension.
SUGGESTIONS for Freeze Ups:
- Resist your distractions and focus on your high dollar productive activity
- Confront your fear (angry investors, unrealistic expectations) – deal with it and move on
- Create and discuss your plan moving forward and then take immediate action
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Whilst ‘Freaking out’ and ‘Freezing up’ and common reactions to panic, they are neither productive nor healthy. In fact, they are essentially self serving. In today’s economic climate, it is imperative to build a resilient work culture that doesn’t ‘Freak out’ or ‘Freeze up’ when the pressure is on.
About the Author:
Michael Licenblat B.Sc.(Psych) is a Resilience Expert who helps people in business bounce back fast from pressure, stress and burnout in their work and life. He is a professional speaker, coach and author of three books.
To download your free special report on the ‘Seven ways to prevent yourself becoming Over-Worked, Stressed-Out, and Run-Down‘, visit: http://www.BounceBackFast.com
