FEAR.
The very word is enough to make one break into a cold
sweat. This is because we do not know
how to use fear to our advantage.
Our practice encounters many cases where career changers
cannot move forward. There are simply
too many “What if” questions that keep people in one place. Most “What if” questions are simply leaved
unanswered.
Later in life, “What if” questions have a nasty habit to
turn into many “If only” regrets.
“If only I started that business
three years ago”.
“If only I drew the designs for
that innovation quicker”.
“If only I studied for that
course”.
Thus, we experience regret because we did not respond to an
opportunity, or did not use our fears to our advantage.
Many of us see fear as something unpleasant because we do
not understand that most fears are actually False Evidences Appearing Real. Ask yourself this: how many of the fears that you had last year
actually happened? Ten per cent? Twenty per cent? More? You
see, it is only when we apply hindsight that we can understand that our fears
are phantoms. Unfortunately, we hardly
ever learn from the past. If only a
small fraction of the fears we had last year came true, what is the chance that
similar percentage would come true in the year that is ahead?
Entrepreneurs and those who contemplate a career change have
many things in common with brave soldiers.
That is my key thought today.
Even the bravest of soldiers will tell you that they
experience fear. They would tell you
that, when they are in a tough battle, fear is what keeps them going
forward. Fear is what keeps them
alert. They become intensely aware of
their surroundings and the can avoid hazards almost automatically.
How do brave soldiers master fear and get out of battles in
more or less one piece? They go to
GROUND. Many military training
facilities in the world use this acronym.
Let us take a close look at this acronym. Each letter in this acronym represents an
action.
|
G
|
Given
situation.
What is the situation that you experience?
How did you get to this situation?
What harms does this situation have?
What possible rewards could this situation have?
|
|
R
|
Route.
How can you get out of this situation?
What should be done do avoid harm in this situation?
What should be done to make use of the rewards that this situation
could offer?
|
|
O
|
Observe.
Soldiers are taught to observe a battlefield in a unique
manner. Proofreaders use the same
technique when they review manuscripts.
We typically look at something from left to right because most of us
read and write from left to right. By looking
at something from right to left, helps to spot things that do not belong or
that could not have been observed through a normal left to right scanning.
What could be done differently?
What can you think of that nobody else thought about?
What is the obvious that everyone else ignores?
What jumps out that we did not see before?
|
|
U
|
Under Cover.
What can be done to avoid harm?
What things caused harm in the past?
How much of what we observe are actually things that were
harmful in the past and that we have not done anything about?
What do we know that our competitors do not know?
How can we prevent my competitor to obtain that knowledge
so that it can be used to our benefit?
|
|
N
|
Neutral
Territory
What is the safest route that I can take?
How do I avoid harm when I start to move?
If I move forward, do I move rapidly yet cautiously?
|
|
D
|
Defend
How do I use the situation to my advantage?
How do I safeguard myself against a similar situation in
the future?
How do I continue to find advantages that I could use?
|
Once we decide to go to GROUND, it is possible to use fear
to our advantage. We are able to
understand the situation and we are able to make the most of the situation by
asking a series of simple questions.
The Skopus Prize is a trademark and intellectual property of
Skopus Business Consultants.
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