Remember the awkwardness of the empty dance floor from college socials or office parties? When everyone stands on the fringes waiting for someone else to take the lead? The best dancers don't necessary go first, because that would mean putting on a show.
The most popular or most senior don't go first either because they have the most invested in their image. Alcohol consumption shoots up as people try and muster up the courage to take the plunge. Some never do - they remain passive onlookers on the sidelines and eventually leave the party vaguely unsatisfied, envious and critical of those who took the leap.
In his new book Flying Without A Net: Turn Fear of Change into Fuel for Success, Harvard Business School's (HBS) Thomas DeLong uses the dance floor as a metaphor for organisational life. The best organisations, he says, create a climate where employees at every level possess the courage and the motivation to be the first to move on the dance floor.
But few organisations encourage their people to dance. Which is why Flying Without A Net prefers to address the individual employee rather than organisations. "Whether we're adoloscents trying to gather up courage to ask a girl to dance or driven professionals trying to take on a fresh challenge, we need to overcome our anxiety, gather our courage and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It's the only way we're going to grow," says DeLong.
DeLong is best known for his earlier work on 'B-players', the solid citizens who form the bulk of the normal performance curve of organisations. In his new book, he focuses on a different category he calls 'high need for achievement individuals,' who are driven, ambitious and single-mindedly focused on succeeding. "I'm a card carrying member of the group myself. As are doctors, investment bankers, lawyers, engineers, consultants - any profession where there is a large component of knowledge and skill," he says in a telephonic interview from Harvard.
The fundamental motivator for high need for achievement individuals is superior performance, which would be a wonderful thing, if it weren't accompanied by high levels of anxiety.
High achievers have difficulty with delegating and don't take the time to teach others, lest this slow down their drive for accomplishment. As a result, they struggle with the producer-to-manager transition and tend to micro-manage. Their ambition pushes them into taking on too many assignments, to a degree that they cannot accomplish all the tasks perfectly, which leads to acute feelings of guilt.
They crave positive feedback, but don't respond well if it is negative. And they take only safe risks because they are fearful of ruining their image and looking incompetent.
In other words, high need for achievement individuals are resistant to change. "Most driven professionals I know have so much anxiety that they would give Woody Allen pause," says DeLong. "Despite the outward appearance of calm, they are neurotically fearful and seldom feel good about what they do."
Flying Without A Net tells the story of Don Thompson, an MBA from a top b-school who joined a high powered consulting firm. Charming, smart, with business savvy, he flourished at the firm, helping client companies reformulate their business strategies.
The most popular or most senior don't go first either because they have the most invested in their image. Alcohol consumption shoots up as people try and muster up the courage to take the plunge. Some never do - they remain passive onlookers on the sidelines and eventually leave the party vaguely unsatisfied, envious and critical of those who took the leap.
In his new book Flying Without A Net: Turn Fear of Change into Fuel for Success, Harvard Business School's (HBS) Thomas DeLong uses the dance floor as a metaphor for organisational life. The best organisations, he says, create a climate where employees at every level possess the courage and the motivation to be the first to move on the dance floor.
But few organisations encourage their people to dance. Which is why Flying Without A Net prefers to address the individual employee rather than organisations. "Whether we're adoloscents trying to gather up courage to ask a girl to dance or driven professionals trying to take on a fresh challenge, we need to overcome our anxiety, gather our courage and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It's the only way we're going to grow," says DeLong.
DeLong is best known for his earlier work on 'B-players', the solid citizens who form the bulk of the normal performance curve of organisations. In his new book, he focuses on a different category he calls 'high need for achievement individuals,' who are driven, ambitious and single-mindedly focused on succeeding. "I'm a card carrying member of the group myself. As are doctors, investment bankers, lawyers, engineers, consultants - any profession where there is a large component of knowledge and skill," he says in a telephonic interview from Harvard.
The fundamental motivator for high need for achievement individuals is superior performance, which would be a wonderful thing, if it weren't accompanied by high levels of anxiety.
High achievers have difficulty with delegating and don't take the time to teach others, lest this slow down their drive for accomplishment. As a result, they struggle with the producer-to-manager transition and tend to micro-manage. Their ambition pushes them into taking on too many assignments, to a degree that they cannot accomplish all the tasks perfectly, which leads to acute feelings of guilt.
They crave positive feedback, but don't respond well if it is negative. And they take only safe risks because they are fearful of ruining their image and looking incompetent.
In other words, high need for achievement individuals are resistant to change. "Most driven professionals I know have so much anxiety that they would give Woody Allen pause," says DeLong. "Despite the outward appearance of calm, they are neurotically fearful and seldom feel good about what they do."
Flying Without A Net tells the story of Don Thompson, an MBA from a top b-school who joined a high powered consulting firm. Charming, smart, with business savvy, he flourished at the firm, helping client companies reformulate their business strategies.
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