How personal fears…

…affect group think.

Those of you who have heard my 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program will recall that Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, discusses techniques for protecting those around us, and ourselves, from the dangers of group think.  Specifically, I reference two types of group think – group euphoria and group despondency.

Group euphoria exists when the group sees only blue skies and clear sailing.  No one sees any storms pending.  Conversely, group despondency reflects the attitude that nothing is working.  We’re defeated.  Why bother?  Both attitudes are costly.  Group euphoria causes us to leap headlong off the cliff without a net.  Group despondency prevents action that could reverse a temporary setback.

Recently I read two books that dealt with another emotion – fear.  Both are historical fiction novels.  One was set in the U.S. during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency when lynchings of African Americans were common.  The other takes place in the Middle East and described graphically the brutal treatment women receive in that part of the world.  I have not taken the time to research the historical accuracy of either book since the accuracy isn’t necessary for the point I’d like to make.

Fear is often viewed as something very personal.  When we experience fear, we often feel alone and helpless.  It’s hard for us to express those fears because we don’t want to be viewed as weak so we mask our true feelings.  Indeed, the book set in the U.S., suggestd that the lynchings weren’t based on some natural (albeit irrational) hatred, but on the fear that Caucasians were losing their jobs to African Americans.

In a similar fashion, the brutal treatment of women in the Middle East, according to the author, stemmed from a fear of the loss of power and control.  In both instances these fears went well beyond personal fears and became societal fears.  How do we prevent this from happening?

It’s counter-intuitive, but the first step is to avoid taking what we see and hear at face value.  When you see behavior or hear language that indicates hatred, look for fear.  Ask the individual or group “What are you (we) really afraid of here?  Hasn’t it been your (our) experience that your (our) fears are worse than the reality that followed?  What can we do to assure that our fears aren’t realized without violating the rights, needs or dignity of others?”

I’m grateful to these two authors for helping me see another dimension to group think – one I will incorporate into my program in the future.  Hopefully their insights will be of value to you as well.  Whenever we have an opportunity to help others identify and overcome their fears, we take an important step toward avoiding societal fear and the violence is often engenders.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 6, Eclectic Education, to gain new perspectives from two very interesting pieces of fiction.  I also used Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to demonstrate how to apply these concepts to situations in which you sense hatred has developed or is developing.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

Good news – My latest book, Pricing for Profit, was released 9.9.09 in the United States, Canada, U.K., Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.  It’s available in all the major bookstores – Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.