Fear, in it’s many shapes and forms, is always present no matter how skilled you become at leading meetings by conference call. The real issue is not about getting rid of fear –- it is about working with and through your fear to accomplish your goals.
Frank Herbert, author of Dune, provides great insight to the journey of working with and through fear. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
What could you accomplish in your meetings if you were relatively fearless? How would people treat you and each other during your meetings? How would being fearless alter the influence of politics and manipulation in your meetings?
Many of the counter-productive behaviors and political maneuvering on conference calls can be directly related back to fear. The faster you can identify and deal with fear, the more effective your meetings will be.
Question:
How does fear show up in your life?
Identify and make a list of every fear in your business life first and then your personal life. It is normal to have a high number of items on your list! Fears come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Does the number of fears on your list surprise you? Consider the participants attending your meeting. It is a solid bet that each person would have a list of fears to rival your own! Get the picture here? Welcome to the leader’s quagmire!
Fear gains power through illusion and secrecy. If you want to de-claw fear in your meetings, the solution is to openly explore one fear at a time through discussion and keen observation. Think of fear as a line of dominoes standing on their edge –- if you knock one down completely, many more will quickly follow.
When you hear fear arise during a meeting or know it is present (i.e. something major for your organization or industry is taking place), be the first person to open it up for discussion. Engage meeting participants to discuss the fear and break the comments down into two separate lists. The first list is observable facts with the second list being supposition, gossip, and rumor. Use the group discussion to verify which list something belongs to. During the discussion, monitor the energy of the group. Listen for the group becoming more calm or agitated. One sure sign of success is when you hear group members explain to each other when something does not belong in the observable fact list.
Your intention is to remove the illusion and secrecy surrounding one fear at a time. While this may not seem productive in terms of accomplishing agenda items, you and the participants will gain far more benefits than you can imagine. Fear is an obstacle to forward progress. The less fear your group has, the faster and more effective it will be at completing projects. Be willing to table agenda items to a future meeting if needed.
The leader who can safely navigate a group to replace the veil of fear with clarity and purpose is appreciated and respected. It is this type of leader that inspires people to give their best.
Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Twitter: @headset
Author – 16 Secrets to a Great Conference Call
ConferenceCallTraining.com
Have you tried telling a customer you couldn’t attend the conference call you set up because your cell phone didn’t work?