Thomas J. - DeLong Flying Without a Net: Turn Fear of Change into Fuel for Success

FLYING WITHOUT A NET

Turn Fear of Change into Fuel for Success

THOMAS J. DELONG

Harvard Business Review Press
Boston, Massachusetts

Copyright 2011 Thomas J. DeLong
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to , or mailed to Permissions, Harvard Business School Publishing, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02163.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

DeLong, Thomas.

Flying without a net : turn fear of change into fuel for success / Thomas J. DeLong.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4221-6229-3 (alk. paper)

1. Employee motivation. 2. Achievement motivation. 3. Change (Psychology) 4. Job satisfaction. 5. Success. 6. Career development. I. Title.

HF5549.5.M63D454 2011

658.314dc22

2010054392

The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives Z39.481992.

To Mildred and Joseph DeLong, Mom and Dad

Late one evening I sat on a bench in Grand Central Station in the early 90s trying to figure out whether I had the energy or desire to jump on a Metro North Train for the ride home. I reflected on whether I should have ever moved our family from the Rocky Mountains to New York to take on a job that felt bigger than any capabilities I imagined I had. I fretted about whether it was possible to make the changes that my boss wanted and the organization needed. I wondered whether I could facilitate the senior management team in a way where they would work together more effectively.

I also agonized over whether it was possible to open up the myriad offices we planned to establish in the coming months. I wrestled with whether it would ever be possible to get the traders and investment bankers to support one another while they were in the same room or in the same building. And I had serious doubts about whether I could give the necessary feedback to the CEO so that I could help him improve on his already high level of performance.

When I looked at my watch and realized that it was 10:00 p.m. and that I had been sitting on the bench for two hours, I knew something had to give. After I managed to lift myself off the bench, board the train and head home, I began thinking about anxieties and traps that plague high-need-for-achievement professionals, a group in which Im a card-carrying member. Ever since I finished my doctoral studies in the winter of 1979, I have been contemplating this subject and how ambitious, driven people often are their own worst enemies. As a Harvard Business School professor and previously as an executive with Morgan Stanley, I have had countless opportunities to interact with and study high-need-for-achievement professionals.

High-need-for-achievement may be an unfamiliar term, but you know the type: driven, ambitious, goal-oriented, myopically focused on succeeding, and so on. Throughout this book, Im going to be using this and other terms interchangeably to refer to the high-need-for-achievement type.

My interest in these professionals dovetailed with my consulting and writing related to the transformation process. As I listened and learned and tried to apply principles of change theory to situations involving achievement-craving professionals, I began to develop a change process for this groupa process that helps them learn and grow rather than stagnate.

For thirty years Ive wrestled with how to help those who are either stuck on the bench at Grand Central Station or who perhaps should stop to consider life. This book is written with these individuals in mind. As youll see, its not a traditional academic book; its not heavily footnoted or jammed with case histories and references to other scholarly works. Instead, its usable, provocative, and (I hope) highly readable. As you might guess from the opening of this preface and in the personal stories I relate in coming chapters, its the book I wish I had possessed when I began my journey. Given the times in which we live, I suspect its a book that will be relevant to your concerns.

Today both individuals and organizations face threats from all sides. The volatile economy, the impact of new technologies, the changing shape and cultures of corporations, the increasing challenges facing families, the increased demands on our time and energyall of these ratchet up everyones anxieties. High-need-for-achievement professionals, though, react especially strongly to these threats. We become convinced that weve fallen out of favor with the boss, that our business will fail, that well be passed over for a promotion, that well be downsized out of a job, that well become B players when we always thought of ourselves as A players.

Given our uncertain and unpredictable environment, even the brightest among us are anxious. In response, we hunker down, blocking ourselves from new challenges. We become locked into our routines, focusing on tasks that we know we do well and ignoring challenges and opportunities that might stretch our capabilities. We know this response hurts us and our organizations. But we fear making ourselves even more vulnerable by committing mistakes while learning something new or testing a new approach.

Organizations are filled with smart, ambitious people who are less productive and satisfied than they should be. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, bankers, and business leaders and their managers find that they cant reach the goals they set or find the meaning they seek. Yet some of these high-drive professionals overcome their fears, adopt new behaviors, and lead enormously successful, fulfilled lives. Unfortunately, they are a minority.

What is going on? Why are the best and the brightest in all age groups and in all professions struggling like never before? Perhaps more significantly, what can you do about it if youre a high-need-for-achievement professional? How do you escape this malaise and become more effective, successful, and fulfilled?

You learn to fly without a net. In other words, you discover how to move through the anxieties that keep you from taking action; you begin to gradually trust your ability to learn, grow, and change and you realize that this ability will help you in your chosen profession. Flying without a net doesnt happen overnight. Its a process that begins with awareness of the forces that escalate your anxieties, act as traps, and cause you to turn to unproductive behaviors for relief. The process also involves adopting counterintuitive practices that give you the courage to do the right things poorly before doing the right things well. And its a process that requires you to be vulnerable, something that driven professionals dont like to be. To achieve more and gain greater satisfaction from your work, though, you must be willing to open yourself up to new learning and experiences that may make you feel uncertain at best and incompetent at worst. These feelings are temporary and a prelude to a greater depth and breadth in your professional and personal life.

Let me tell you a bit about what you can expect from this book. First, youll find many stories of high-need-for-achievement professionals like yourself. Some describe people who are trapped by their anxieties, and some are about individuals who avoid and escape these traps and change in highly productive ways. Second, youll encounter a great deal of advice about what to do if you want to be less anxious and achieve more but are flounderingchecklists, questions, and exercises. As a driven professional, one of your strengths is your task orientation, so these prescriptive elements should play to the way you live. Third, youll find a framework that places all the books advice and concepts in a compelling context. A few key graphics illustrate this framework and will provide guidance as you discover how to transcend your anxieties and find the courage to try new behaviors and change.