Client Question: “I have an interview coming up for a job that seems perfect for me. I am sure that I will tell them that I can do the job, but what if I get it and then I find that I can’t do it? I don’t want to fail.”
The fear of failure can be so paralyzing for people that it keeps them from trying anything new at all. Unfortunately, there are no changes that you can take that don’t involve some degree of risk. You may be weighing out how big the risk is and can you manage through it? What is the right risk number that tells you to go for it? Does it have to be higher than a 50% guarantee? Maybe 75% or even up to 90% is closer to the number you need to move forward. There are no sure things in life and even if you get to the right risk percentage, things can change along the way.
There is a quote that says “everything you have ever wanted is on the side of fear.” What if you focus on getting what you want instead of thinking about what could go wrong? Think back to a time when you took a risk on something and it paid off. What made you decide to do that one thing? Do you remember how it felt once you tried it and it was successful? Focus on seeing yourself as a success, instead of a failure.
Let’s suspend the fear for just a minute. Let’s talk about what we know:
- You feel the job is perfect for you and the hiring manager agrees that you have enough qualifications to interview you.
- If you feel it is perfect for you, then there are things about it that spark some passion for you or you have done something similar to it before? Write down the reasons that you think it is perfect for you.
- Now, let’s focus on why you want it? What will this new role give you that you don’t have now? Write those things down so you can see them.
- How do you feel when you look at those lists? Inspired, excited, ready for the challenge? Imagine that you have the role already. What things would you do if you were in it? Write those things down.
- When you struggled with something in the past, what did you do? Did you find someone to help you? How did you get through that situation? Write down an example or two.
- Now what happens if you do find that there are things you struggle with in this role? What are the worst things that can happen? What would you do? Write those things down.
Was the list of things that could go wrong as bad as you thought it would be? Most of the time the worry about failure is way bigger than the actual things that could go wrong and may never even happen. Does this exercise help you see how the positive of taking this role outweighs the fear of failing at it?
Whenever someone goes into a new role they have things to learn, relationships to build and goals to achieve. The thing to remember is that no one has all the answers and knows how to do everything. When someone hires you, they are choosing you, because they feel you are the best person to succeed in the role. Believe that you will make this new role a success and leverage the people who are willing to help you get there. When you may have struggled in the past, you found a way through it. This may be have been a peer, your manager, a mentor or a coach. You will do the same thing here. Everyone needs help along the way, you just need to ask for it.