Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

If a workplace is full of fear, nothing else matters. Drive out the fear.

I recently attended a presentation where the topic was trust. The presentation reminded of something, i.e., it helped me re-learn what I knew:

If a workplace is full of fear, nothing else matters.

Years ago I worked in a place full of fear. People were afraid to laugh at a joke. People were afraid to tell a joke. People were afraid to answer any question with anything other than “yes” or “no.”

I hated going to work. Most people in the place hated going to work.

This hit me hardest one day when half-a-dozen of us who had known one another for ten years were in a room with the door closed. We talked for half an hour. We laughed a lot. At the end of the time, one person stood to leave for another scheduled meeting. Before he opened the door, he turned to the rest of us and said something like, “I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time.”

For a few moments, he had been in a safe place—a room without fear.

After many months, I left that job for another. After many more months, other people left as well. Fear disappeared. There were a few people who roamed the halls wreaking havoc. They frightened the rest of us. The rest of us allowed them to frighten us.

• Drive out those who bring fear.
• Encourage those who are full of fear to toss it aside.

Easy remedies that are not so easy to implement.