My secret insecurities

I have a secret. I’m insecure. 

I have self-doubts. 

I have emotional needs. 

Dark moments filled with doubt.

I worry that I’m not progressing fast enough, saying the right things, or being prepared to do my job.

I’m also worried about my non-work life: my money, my kids, my parents, my marriage, my friends. 

I do get stressed out, and distracted. 

But you know what?

It’s not just me who’s insecure.

Every single one of us is, on some level. Every person at work. Every person at home. Every stranger. Every boss. Every CEO. Everybody. Everybody. 

According to Dr. Mark Scullard, senior director of product innovation for Wiley’s Workplace Learning Solutions, insecurity is natural, human, and universal. 

This inescapable human struggle, as painful as it can be for individuals, is compounded in the workplace because it manifests as distrust. 

Put a bunch of insecure people together in an organization and what do you get? 

Pretense. Blaming. Gossip. Stalling. Territorialism. And on and on and on. 

Dr. Scullard says that all the familiar unproductive workplace behaviors can be traced back to our own human insecurities. 

He calls it the Invisible Drain on Your Company’s Culture and even wrote a book about it.

I have a copy. I got it as part of my certification as an Authorized partner of the Everything DiSC assessment.

Dr. Scullard’s book explains how understanding a person’s personality profile can help colleagues collaborate and perform, despite very real human insecurities.

I’ll give you an example. I am a CS Style, and part of what that means is that I need time to consider new approaches. My silence doesn’t mean I’m closed-minded. 

When you know your colleague's motivators and stressors, everyone’s insecurities are lowered, distrust is lowered, and you can get down to business.

If you want a PDF copy of Dr. Scullard’s short book, The Invisible Drain on Your Company’s Culture, contact me.