Change is constantly occurring, from changing seasons to the rising and setting of the sun. People are affected by the constant change, too, such as growing up and shifts in behavior. To some, it's the inevitability of change that is frightening. Certain people face anxiety and fear surrounding aging, associating it with gaining unwanted responsibilities. Psychologist Robert W. Firestone explains that adults "are looked to for direction, support, and actual parenting." To some, the idea of people depending on them is the largest source of anxiety, as the possibility of disappointing, or in their eyes, failing others, is overwhelming.

Work is a facet of everyone's life and often utilizes a seniority system. Seniority is a rank based on one's continuous employment within a company. In a seniority-based system, people who stay at the same company for long periods are rewarded for their loyalty (Indeed.com). When coworkers look up to their seniors for help in the workplace, anxiety can occur in the seniors. The possibility of failing to assist their younger coworkers can limit the seniors' workplace relationships. Fear of failure occurs in younger coworkers as well. Harvard Business Review writers Rebecca Zucker and Ruth Gotian highlight common anxieties in the workplace: damaging one's career, letting other coworkers down, looking bad, or losing control (Harvard Business Review 10). Instead of fearing the possibility of failure, embracing and utilizing it to one's advantage leads to increased job performance, opportunities, and productivity.

Setting Up The Trampoline

As easy as some make it sound, jumping head-first into an unfamiliar and foreign work setting sounds daunting to a new hire. In the current job market, stepping through the door is the hardest part. The possibility of rejection from a job opportunity is a common fear that holds many back from succeeding in the workplace. Failure must be addressed to propel oneself to success. Susan Peppercorn, an executive transition coach and speaker, encourages her clients to redefine failure- framing it instead as a learning process- giving them an optimistic approach towards work-related events such as interviews (Harvard Business Review para 3). Another approach to setting oneself up for success is reaching out to inner circles. Being able to approach confidants such as friends and family on their experiences with and overcoming failure can assist one in decreasing their fears and gaining reassurance that they are not alone (Davis 7). Facing the fear of failure with oneself and a trusted group is essential to propelling a successful career.

Vaulting Over Obstacles

It takes grace, attention, and care to shift from a person who is held back by the fear of failure to an resilient person who utilizes failure as a way to vault over obstacles. Hitting obstacles such as missing a deadline or not making a team at work can bruise and harm one’s ego. In order to circumnavigate these obstacles to a person’s self esteem, researchers offer advice such as:

• Observe other peoples failures: A person who makes a mistake serves as a lesson for the next. Conducting research into common mistakes people make in a career field can assist a new hire in avoiding those same mistakes.

• Get some distance: Failure can sting and bring negative emotions that can cloud a person’s judgment- especially in a workplace setting. Low moments of self esteem can lead people to compare themselves to more successful coworkers. Instead of trapping oneself into a cycle of self-loathing, approach a moment of failure from a neutral third party.

• Share moments of failure: In a 2018 and 2019 study, researchers Angela Duckworth, Eskreis-Winkler and Fishbach found that when people were asked to reword moments of failure in their lives (ex: work, fitness, and school) into inspirational stories for other members in the study, were able to motivate them (Eskreis-Winkler, Lauren, et al). The results of this study can be applied in leadership positions- managers or club presidents can come off as more relatable and humble if they are open to their own personal experiences of failure.

Recognizing personal successes: Pairing constructive criticism with encouraging notes in a 2014 experiment with 7th grade teachers led to their students achieving higher grades later in the school year (Yeager, D. S., Purdie-Vaughns, et al). In a workplace setting when handing feedback to employees, managers can utilize the same strategies in the 2014 experiment to encourage progress away from any missteps or ‘failures’ that occur in the workplace.

Taking these aforementioned studies and experiments and applying them into office spaces or even in school clubs can generate a welcoming and encouraging environment that promotes growth and innovation. Improving a member of a team can help bond and strengthen the entire group.

Sticking the Landing

There will be moments in one's career where one fails to 'stick' the landing. Stumbling during a work presentation to missing an opportunity for a promotion, the feeling of failure, especially during work, can sting. It can be uncomfortable to be setback professionally, but a moment of failure does not necessarily mean one's career is permanently derailed. Winston Churchill once said, "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." Failure offers a reprise to reflect and try again. For example, missing a sales quota one month can redirect a person to pursue a different approach regarding customer relations. Other times, failure can serve as a way to reach out and ask for help. Collaborating with fellow employees to further the company's mission in a workplace setting can cultivate a healthier workplace environment and relationships (Hogonext 15). Rather than "moving on" and trying to hide past mistakes, utilize failure and its experience as a trampoline to catapult oneself to new heights.

Works Cited

Davis, Tchiki. “Three Ways to Overcome Fear of Failure at Work.” Greater Good, 2018, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_ways_to_overcome_fear_of_failure_at_work. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.

Editorial Team, Indeed. “Q&A: What Is Seniority in the Workplace? | Indeed.Com.” Indeed , 2022, www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/seniority-in-the-workplace. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.

Editorial Team, HogoNext. “How to Turn Failure into Success: 9 Reasons and Tips.” HogoNext, 11 Feb. 2024, hogonext.com/how-to-turn-failure-into-success-9-reasons-and-tips/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.

Eskreis-Winkler, Lauren, et al. “A Large-Scale Field Experiment Shows Giving Advice Improves Academic Outcomes for the Advisor.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116, no. 30, 8 July 2019, pp. 14808–14810, doi:10.1073/pnas.1908779116.

Firestone, Robert W. “Why People Fear Growing up and Functioning as Adults.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 1 July 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-experience/201307/why-people-fear-growing-and-functioning-adults. Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.

Peppercorn, Susan. “How to Overcome Your Fear of Failure.” Harvard Business Review, 17 Sept. 2021, hbr.org/2018/12/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-failure. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.

Yeager, D. S., Purdie-Vaughns, V., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Brzustoski, P., Master, A., Hessert, W. T., Williams, M. E., & Cohen, G. L. (2014). Breaking the cycle of mistrust: Wise interventions to provide critical feedback across the racial divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(2), 804–824.