Tackling New Challenges: Overcome Fear and Embrace Collaboration in the Workplace
As professionals, we often face daunting challenges that push us beyond our comfort zones and test our confidence. These challenges frequently trigger a fear of failure, hindering our progress and stifling our growth potential.
By embracing a growth mindset, we transform obstacles into opportunities for learning, foster collaboration, and cultivate an environment of creativity and success.
Acknowledge Fear and Take Action
Fear of failure is a natural response to the unfamiliar, but it should not keep us from seizing opportunities to grow. In her influential book "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway," Susan Jeffers emphasizes the importance of pushing through discomfort to achieve personal and professional growth (Jeffers, 1987). By tackling new challenges head-on, you develop resilience while unlocking opportunities for personal and professional expansion.
As Carol Dweck notes, identifying triggers helps us see where a “fixed mindset” persona is making us defensive or threatened. When our “fixed mindset” shows up, it indicates the need to lean into growth mindset behaviors: worry less and put more energy into learning. (Dweck, 2016)
Recognize your fear, and instead of letting it keep you from challenges, let it push you towards a mode of learning. Professor Sue Ashford explains being open to learning and new challenges is a mandatory muscle to flex for emerging leaders (Ashford, 2023).
Embrace a Collaborative Mindset
Adopting a collaborative approach and being open to learning from others is also essential when confronted with unfamiliar tasks or projects. Pivoting between the role of student and thought partner shows that you are aware of a team’s collective knowledge.
Shifting between the thought leader and the student will help you as a contributor, and it also models and encourages the entire team to embrace collaborative behavior. Research shows collaborative innovation strongly and positively correlates with firm performance (Xie et al., 2023). The key to collaborative innovation is for the full cross-functional team to understand that they are all expected to continuously move between thought leader and student roles.
There are many ways to do this. Here are a few:
use the “raise hand” feature in video calls or ask for comments throughout the room so that all voices are heard
publish agendas in advance so folks can prepare questions and information to share
crowdsource agendas to reduce blind spots
conduct brainstorming sessions that include verbal and written participation
invite in-house and external experts to share knowledge and industry practices
Stay Focused and Reflect on Accomplishments
When building a collaborative solution, define goals, focus on objectives, and track progress. Breaking tasks into manageable steps allows teams to create a clear roadmap, remain aligned and intentional, and acknowledge achievements and changes.
Documenting accomplishments and strategies to create winning solutions also enables teams to replicate “what worked well” in future endeavors.
As noted in Advancing Innovation, innovation requires galvanizing innovators. Continuously celebrating accomplishments energizes and keeps your team engaged.
Fuel Future Success
Acknowledging and celebrating success is vital to fueling individual and organizational innovation. Recognizing achievements also builds confidence, fosters resilience, and fuels motivation for overcoming future challenges. The Power of Small Wins shares research-backed evidence that supports, “of all the things that can boost inner work life, the most important of which is making progress in meaningful work.” (Amabile, 2020).
Be sure to celebrate as a team. A shared sense of victory fosters camaraderie and fuels future collaboration. There are many ways to do this.
Here are a few:
gather for a team outing
host a virtual celebration
write other heartfelt thank-you notes
display accomplishments in a common area
demo innovative work in departmental or company meetings — and be sure to share how it will help the company advance its goals
Add it to your record
Once you’re done celebrating, remember to put the accomplishment on your resume. Your resume is a running log of your contributions. Whether you successfully led a cross-functional team, implemented cost-saving measures, or launched a new product, document and quantify the impact you made.
Conclusion
Fear accompanies growth. We can acknowledge it, but we should never let it paralyze us. Lean into taking calculated risks. Remember, every successful leader combats fear at some point. As Eleanor Roosevelt wisely said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”
When tackling a new challenge, take action, foster collaboration, maintain focus, and celebrate success. By implementing these steps, you overcome the fear of failure, create an environment that nurtures creativity and innovation, and transform obstacles into opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Published by Danielle Dory - Consultant and Transformation Coach
May 20, 2024
