Dread, the Passive Roadblock to Action

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Dread, the Passive Roadblock to Action – by Arnie Wohlgemut

Please save me from ______ (You fill in the blank). We all have things in life we dread (and avoid): cleaning the house, the morning Zoom call or commute; budget meetings; impromptu situations, you name it.

I DREAD annual performance review time. They are reportedly an important part of management, but it doesn’t accomplish anything! In my opinion, it is demoralizing and we all dread doing them. However, since I was told I had to do them as part of the job, I just dug in.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Dale Carnegie

But I’ve learned that I don’t have to operate in that “dread space”. Here’s what I learned:

  • Dread is the seed of fear. Dread consumes hope. Don’t kid yourself. Your mind is a powerful influencer and dread can set us up for a very bad day. Instead of hoping for a good drive home or a productive meeting, dread sets us up for a much worse experience.
  • Dread is simply expecting to have an unpleasant experience. If we have prepared ourselves for that meeting, we should be confident that it will be successful. If your meeting plan didn’t work out: get a new plan!

“It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.” 

J.K. Rowling
  • Dread is passive. It doesn’t make things better, make it easier or even make it go away; it just sets you up for the fall. Dread leads to real fear and will stall the progress your team has made.
  • Dread can control you. It can be paralyzing. Don’t let it. When you feel dread coming on, remind yourself you know the pattern and dread doesn’t change a thing.
  • Anti-dread action. If you are having a bad day, take responsibility. You have control over your attitude. Make your mind up that you’re not going to dread anything.

The good news? You can choose not to be controlled by dread. But it will take courage. You can’t take the easy way out.

Confront your personal gaps. Your staff count on you.  Be bold.  Be the leader you can be!