It's the Customer, Stupid!: 34 Wake-up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused

Chapter 29. Eight Rules to Overcome Fear of Failure

Rule 10

"The single greatest destroyer of customer-driven leaders is fear."

My grandfather once informed me that "Fear is nothing but an absence of knowledge [and] a lack of information."

Fear does indeed destroy leaders more than any other single factor. There are many times when our people are afraid of us—when they fear making a mistake and being forced to pay for it at a later point by getting fired. Sometimes their fear is based on misinformation; other times, it's based simply on prejudice.

People don't buy new ideas; they take ownership of them when they remove the fear with an abundance of knowledge.

Rule 11

"Customer-driven leaders are good at rapport building."

The most successful leaders have mastered the art of building rapport with their people. They are always seeking common ground. They know that the best way to be liked is to establish camaraderie and a shared sense of purpose with the other person. They do this by asking questions that give them insight into their team members' goals, passions, likes, and challenges.

Leaders always approach others in neutral. They know that if one dominant personality challenges another, they're heading for a war. To that end, they don't fight to "right"; instead, they figure out how to meet in the middle. They use noncontroversial topics to establish solidarity with others. Most important, they let team members know, "I'm here for you. You are important to me."

Leaders always use some ...