Managing from fear!

Beyond a doubt with live in panicky times. Now my own belief is that we will be looking back on this period in five years wondering what all the fuss was about, but none the less the current temperament is one based on fear. I find it interesting and would like to talk about how much of today's decision making is based on fear. For example there was an interesting report, one which helped to drive the markets, that said most corporate CEO's think the recession is ebbing and business is returning to normal, yet they were afraid to make any investments for a number of reasons.

Also, if you look at Capitol Hill, there is a discussion going on about health care. I don't think anyone would argue this is a necessary discussion and one that may be long overdue, what seems to be the issue is that we are hearing we need to do it now or gloom and doom will prevail, or if we do in fact do it now, time to wait for the for gents on their horses. The only common denominator is fear.

That seems to be the problem with both government and business today. Both of these supposedly intelligent bodies are in fact paralyzed by that fear that leads to paralysis. If you recall what FDR said during his first inaugural address , "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Every school child knows that quote. What is less known is what he said after. He described the fear gripping the nation at the time as nameless, "unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." While today is not any where near as dire as it was during the depression, despite the work of the chicken littles of the world to make it seem that way, we are working and living in an environment that is the opposite of the irrational optimism of ten years ago. Ideally, we should find a middle ground to live in but that is not likely to happen anytime soon.

What we need is for business leaders to actually be leaders for once. Stop thinking you can control everything and realize that there is actually some risk in the world and taking a short term loss for long term success may actually be good. I know that is anathema to the titans that be but it is also the truth. Risk free reward is not going to happen! Mindless risk as we know is very harm full but doing a 180 degree turn is not going to fix anything. How nice it would be to see managers take a real calculated risk and then once or twice take a leap of faith and maybe help get everything back to what passes for normal!