I suddenly woke up and said, "The house is on fire. Get out!" As I ran out of my bedroom and into the hallway, my socks slipped on the grained oak floor. A guiding hand helped keep me on my feet, and a panicked voice urged, “Hurry! Hurry up!'
As I got to the door, I looked over my shoulder and saw flames shooting from the heating vent onto the floor. The door was thrown open and I was pushed outside into the carport. “Stand in the driveway and wait for me. And don't come in again. Can you hear me? Don't come back in!'
The door closed and I started to cry. I stood staring at the seafoam green door with its frosted blinds. I waited and waited, but I didn't go and stayed in the driveway. I couldn't move. I started to shiver as the cold concrete floor seeped through my socks and the winter air seeped into my pajamas. It seemed like forever and with every minute that passed, I cried harder. I could taste the salt of the tears running down my face and into my mouth.
Finally the door opened again and my mother announced, "The fire is out." Relief flooded my body as I ran into her arms and she held me tight. was 2 years old and the mental images of that day are as clear as if it happened yesterday. It could be my oldestmemory.
There are many things that motivate us. But the most powerful motivator of all isangst.
Fear is a primal instinct that served us as cavemen and continues to serve us today. It keeps us alive because if we survive a bad experience, we never forget how to avoid it in the future. Our most vivid memories are born from fear. Adrenaline etches them in our brains.
Nothing makes us more uncomfortable than fear. And we have so many fears: fear of pain, illness, injury, failure, not being accepted, missing an opportunity, and being cheated, to name a few. Fear calls on the flight or fight system and our first reaction is often to flee back to our comfort zone. If we don't know the way back, we will probably follow anyone who shows us the way.
Marketers use fear as a motivator as often as they can. They present a scenario that they hope will evoke our sense of fear. Then they show us a solution – a way back to our comfort zone – that involves using their product or service. Fear is used to sell almost everything: cars, tires and life insurance are classics. But smart marketers also use it to sell breakfast cereals and deodorant. As a result, we buy all kinds of things that were considered unnecessary a generation ago: antibacterial soap, alarm systems, vitamins. The list goes on.
But fear can be too powerful to use as a motivator because it can also be paralyzing – the classic 'deer in headlights' syndrome. Do you want to use fear to motivate your employees to perform better? “If you don't sell more widgets, you'll be fired!” It can work, but there are rules you must follow to be successful. To successfully use fear as a motivator, a solution must be offered. A new path to follow. You can tell employees to sell more, but unless you show them how, fear will lead to flight or worse: paralysis.
Fear is a powerful motivator, but it is negative (see my articleFear vs. current). I prefer to motivate someone by removing doubts. Doubt destroysmotivation. If you can help someone get rid of it, you will motivate them positively. I will go into more detail about this in my next post.
Robert Evans Wilson jr.is a writerhumorist, Ininnovationconsultant.
