In working with business owners and leaders over the years, I often see and hear evidence of business professionals who were so close to success, but somehow let it slip through their fingers. They always give a rational excuse, like the market changed, but somehow it seemed to me that they were actually afraid of success, so they subtly undermined their own efforts.
I couldn’t really believe that anyone would be afraid of success, until I read the classic self-help book by Patrick Daniel, “Finding Your Road to Success.” This is billed as a must-read for any new business owner or professional who needs a shot of optimism. Relative to my encounters with fear of business success, I agree with the six rationales that Patrick outlines and my positive-thinking mind would never even consider:
1. Success will lead to loneliness. Some business leaders believe that success will mean working long hours, neglecting their spouse and children, which in turn could result in divorce. Women, in particular, sometimes believe that success will make them unlovable and intimidating to men.
2. Business role success will lead to envy. Many people want what others have, and the more success a person achieves, the more envious are that person’s friends, neighbors, and colleagues. This is a reality that some business owners don’t want to deal with, and some apparently undermine their own success to avoid it.
3. I’m not good enough for success. This belief can result from many things, such as having negative parents and not having a college degree. With this belief often comes “I don’t deserve success,” so they sabotage their own efforts in that direction. If this resonates with you, I don’t recommend the new venture growth lifestyle.
4. Success will change my lifestyle. Some business creators fear that the changes that come with success will actually make life less enjoyable. They believe that will have less time to, for example, enjoy sports, surf the Internet, spend time with their family, or relish the excitement of building the business. My logical mind would assume just the opposite.
5. The price of success is too expensive. There is a cost to everything, and success is not an exception. Sometimes, to make money you have to spend money, and some aspiring owners just can’t face the risk of making that initial investment. Certainly I know many people who would never put other people’s money at risk to start their business.
6. I won’t be able to control everything that happens. If you fear all the things you can’t control, you should never step into the risky innovation business lifestyle. New ventures have to deal with many factors outside their control, so this fear can cause an unhealthy stress and worry. Successful business leaders usually relish their ability to control at least one thing that no one else has managed to figure out.
Ironically, these “fear of success” rationales are often restated by business owners as a somewhat less embarrassing, equally deadly, “fear of failure.” Fear of failure is generally recognized as one of the strongest forces holding qualified professionals back. Yet failing in a new venture or business role is practically a rite of passage, according to experts, as well as successful leaders.
Overall, I would suggest that if you let your fears control your actions, you probably have a hard and unhappy road ahead in leading a business. Most successful leaders are not fearless, but they know how to transform these fears into positive actions rather than negative ones, and they take every failure as a positive learning experience.
I assure you that no business leaders are born successful. Every smart professional has a fear of the unknowns in their new business role. Only those with the passion and conviction to proceed anyway will have any chance of success (you can’t succeed if you don’t start). Likewise, you can’t succeed if you give up too early, or sabotage your own efforts due to a fear of success.
Make sure you don’t let fear paralyze you or hold you back at any stage of your professional career.
Related: 5 Reasons for Not Painting All Your Customers With the Same Brush