Weekly Business Insights from Top Ten Business Magazines | Week 289 | Leading & Managing Section | 1

Extractive summaries of and key takeaways from the articles curated from TOP TEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES to promote informed business decision-making | Week 289 | March 24-30, 2023

How High Achievers Overcome Their Anxiety

By Morra Aarons-Mele | Harvard Business Review Magazine | March–April 2023 Issue

Listen to the Extractive Summary of the Article

Here’s a little secret: Some very successful people are wracked by anxiety. They worry about worst-case scenarios and every little thing that could go wrong. They stew over mistakes and unfavorably compare themselves with others. They focus on negative feedback while dismissing praise.  In many ways their anxiety is a benefit: After all, it fuels their drive, hard work, and achievement. But if left unchecked, what may seem beneficial can make someone miserable, diminishing performance and career progress.

Many of us do this: succumb to what psychologists call thought traps, or what others call cognitive distortion or thinking errors— patterns of untrue and negatively biased thought so ingrained that they arise automatically to ensnare us. Then we can’t see clearly, communicate effectively, or make good, reality-based decisions. And the consequences can have an adverse effect on us and the teams we lead.  Solutions exist. The first step is to understand the various traps and identify which ones you’re most prone to. Then you can take intentional, straightforward, research-backed steps to set yourself free.

Eleven thought traps most commonly affect us at work are:  all-or-nothing thinking; labeling; jumping to conclusions; catastrophizing; filtering; discounting the positive; should statements; social comparison; personalization and blaming; obsessive, repetitive thoughts about negative events in the past; and emotional reasoning.

Several overarching practices can help you avoid or escape all of them.  These include: make the anxiety an ally, Practice self-compassion, see the humor, get physical, try guided meditation, and just say no.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Some very successful people are wracked by anxiety. They worry about worst-case scenarios and every little thing that could go wrong. They stew over mistakes and unfavorably compare themselves with others. They focus on negative feedback while dismissing praise.  Consequences can have an adverse effect on us and the teams we lead.
2. Solutions is to understand the various traps and identify which ones you’re most prone to. Then you can take intentional, straightforward, research-backed steps to set yourself free.
3. Eleven thought traps most commonly affect us at work are:  all-or-nothing thinking, labeling, jumping to conclusions, catastrophizing, filtering, discounting the positive, should statements, social comparison, personalization and blaming, ruminating, and emotional reasoning.    Several overarching practices can help you avoid or escape all of them.  These include: make the anxiety an ally, Practice self-compassion, see the humor, get physical, try guided meditation, and just say no.

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Topics:  Personal Development, Performance, Leadership