Five Ways to Help Someone Overcome Fear and Take More Risks

If you are a leader or a coach, you know that the level of fear someone has is inversely related to the level of risk she is willing to take. Decrease her fear factor, and she'll increase her risk-taking. Here are things you can do to help someone overcome fear and take more risks:

1. Show her that you believe in her (or at least believe that she won't die).  
You don't have to tell her which one you believe in. Tell her she can do it. If she is afraid to invite someone to join her team, remind of the reasons why someone would want to join her team or point out that you invited her and you're still alive to talk about.

2. Empower her.
"Knowledge is power" might be a cliché , but it is true. No one wants to do something for the first time blindly. But if she knows what to expect, how it works and how it usually ends up, she'll have a little more confidence. Give her a formula for what to say. Role play with her. Teach her to overcome the obstacles she might face.

3. Take baby steps.
If she's afraid to recruit, break down the recruiting process into baby steps. Go over her list of potential recruits with her. Talk about how each one would benefit from being on her team. Give her the words to say to invite someone to an opportunity event. Give her an outline to do an opportunity coffee chat. Share your training guide with her. As she completes each step, she'll gain confidence and be ready for the next one.

4. Lead her.
Your shadow can be a safe place to learn. Take her with you to an opportunity chat, and afterwards point out the key things you said and how you overcame objections. 

5. Celebrate her journey. 
Acknowledge each risk she takes. Picking up the phone might be no big deal to you, but she might find it easier to do practically anything else. So when she makes the first phone call, celebrate it. When she does it again, celebrate it. Celebrate it until she does it fearlessly. And then celebrate the next thing that she does.

Eventually she'll realize that she is fearless.

She eats raw cookie dough by the bowlful and then immediately goes swimming. She's logged at least a quarter mile running with scissors, and she drinks regularly from a hose. Once she walked into a brand new hair salon and told the stylist to do whatever he wanted. She is fearless. (The story on the back of the greeting card Fearless from the She is . . . Collection.)

Celebrate every day,
Kelly