Content provided in partnership with

Automotive Industry

Don't be afraid of failure

Automotive Design & Production, Feb, 2004 by Ted Pollock

A lot of people avoid doing a lot of things because they're afraid of not doing them well. If you sometimes find yourself immobilized by the fear of failure, try any or all of these suggested antidotes.

1. Don't be so hard on yourself. "Failure" is a relative term, depending on who is doing the measuring. A "failure" by Rembrandt might be considered a success if it were painted by someone else. If you want to lose 20 pounds and only manage to lose 15, is that failure? Really?

2. Don't view every situation in black-and-white terms. If you set a goal and pursue it, judge your performance in terms of degrees of success.

Most Popular Articles in Autos: Service Slants; 2007 utility vehicle buyer's guide: Side-By-Sides are popular; here's who ...; Transmission considerations: beyond the manual gearbox; Buell Motorcycle engineering, innovation, & dedication: in an industry ...; 100 + 10: America's oldest automotive magazine celebrates its 110th year ...; More »

3. Don't confuse success with excellence. There is nothing bad or wrong with bowling a mediocre game as long as you enjoy what you're doing.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

4. Plunge right in. Next time you fear trying to do something, throw caution to the wind and do it! Even if you only experience partial success, you will be doing what you really want to do and that's a good feeling. In most instances, it's better to try than to nurse regrets.

5. Consider the worst case scenario. Afraid to do something? Ask yourself, "What's the worst that can happen if I fail?" If your answer is something you can live with, why not give it a shot?

6. View failure for what it really is--a learning experience. Perceived this way, failure becomes something positive--a contribution to future success. We can almost always learn more from our failures than from our successes ... a good thing to remember.

How To Create Job Interest

Compare the employee who is interested in his or her work against the one who isn't and there is no contest. A is more reliable, more creative, and more productive than B. It follows that the manager who knows how to generate employee interest in a job ends up with the more competent staff. Here are some specific steps you can take to upgrade your people's interest in what they do.

View interest building as a new challenge. You will strengthen your approach if you can put aside old ideas and past efforts. See the assignment as a brand new one: a responsibility, a new kind of structure to build, with new tools designed for the task.

Treat it as an individual situation. Don't think, "How can I get my people to love their work?" Rather, picture your target as a single individual: "How can I get A to feel better about one specific job?" Now you have a situation you can deal with. When you finish with A you can turn to B, C, and D.

Consider departmental factors. Even though it helps to think of your goal as a one-by-one undertaking, you will have many opportunities to work toward a favorable outcome while you are implementing general departmental policies.

Conventional wisdom to the contrary notwithstanding, most workers like their jobs, at least in part, and most jobs are likable to some degree. So when an employee gripes, "I don't want the Acme job; it's a pain." You can respond, "Let's look it over together and see what can be done. As far as possible, I want my people to like what they're doing."

Certain undesirable elements in the work can probably be eliminated. Every job can be improved. In the course of your reconsideration of work methods, place high on your priority list the goal of eliminating or minimizing the unpleasant, dirty or depressing parts of a job.

For instance, a manager knows that the department detests the weekly chore of reading regional production reports. Although the importance of the material has been repeatedly stressed, continuing complaints necessitate another look into the problem. Once done, it is obvious that the reports could be simplified by substituting check-off items for the usual essay answers. The revised format takes a great deal of pain out of checking the reports.

Enlist the participation of employees in making their work satisfying. Get them in on the act at every opportunity: "Is there any other job you would rather be doing here?" "Is there any change in routine that you feel you would like to make?" "Can you think of any way to make the job less tedious?" In the process, you may unearth some worthwhile ideas. By letting them know that you are perfectly willing to consider their thoughts, you further ensure their job interest.

Clever Shortcuts

Some people have devised ingenious ways and means to get more done in less time. A few of the more offbeat:

* An insurance broker groups all his telephone calls in the late afternoon, thus avoiding the need to interrupt himself several times during the day. An added advantage: he can include any calls made necessary by the day's developments. As a result, he minimizes the need to make follow-up calls.

* One executive VP finds that if he stands when someone visits him in his office and doesn't invite the visitor to take a seat, the mutual vertical position tends to keep the conference brief and to the point.

Automotive Industry

Don't be afraid of failure

Automotive Design & Production, Feb, 2004 by Ted Pollock

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Home & Garden

Most Popular Articles in Autos

Most Popular Publications in Autos