Jackie Zach
October 28, 2024
In this podcast episode, Mike McKay and Jackie Zach discuss the pitfalls of worry as a management tool, stressing that worry rarely leads to productive outcomes. Mike recounts a conversation with his coach, who prompted him to evaluate the actual outcomes of his past worries—revealing that most were unfounded. The duo explains that worry creates a “parent-child” communication dynamic, where leaders express concern about future possibilities, pushing their teams into a defensive, reactive mindset. This dynamic prevents people from engaging in the present moment and limits their ability to make positive contributions.
Jackie highlights how worry impacts the entire team, even when leaders try to mask their anxiety, leading to misunderstandings and misplaced concerns about the business’s stability. Mike compares this phenomenon to the law of attraction and the law of precession, noting that like a moving bike, a business requires momentum to stay balanced. When leaders are consumed by worry, they risk halting forward progress and stagnating. Instead, Mike and Jackie advise that leaders should convert worry into actionable steps, fostering a proactive and positive environment for growth. They conclude by encouraging listeners to take immediate action rather than staying paralyzed by hypothetical concerns.
Are you spending a lot of time worrying about your business? Take advantage of a complimentary business strategy session to discover the opportunities in your business! http://makemoreworkless.actioncoach.com/mmwl-diag-and-questions/
Podcast Transcript:
Mike McKay: Welcome to the Make More Work Less podcast, where the rules are made up, and the points don’t matter.
Jackie Zach: Love it!
Mike: I’m Mike McKay, and I’m here with Jackie Zach. Hi, Jackie.
Jackie: Hello, hello!
Mike: Today, Jackie has spun the topic wheel, and our topic is:
Jackie: Worry is not a management method.
Mike: Exactly. One of my coaches, Bruce Wilson, asked me to evaluate all the things I’ve worried about over the last six months. He wanted me to list how many of them actually happened. So, I spent about ten minutes thinking about it and realized that none of my worries came to fruition—well, maybe a couple of rare exceptions, but even those didn’t turn out as I expected.
Jackie: Isn’t that interesting?
Mike: Yeah! We were discussing management methods, and he asked how much worry has helped me in developing people and building a business to be proud of. The answer was the same: it never helps. Sometimes, we talk ourselves into thinking that if we do this or that, a cascade of negative events will follow. You can convince yourself that it’s terrifying to undertake basic business tasks, but it really isn’t.
Jackie: Right. And consider how much time you spend worrying when you could be using that time productively to make more money.
Mike: Exactly. Earlier today, we discussed parent-adult-child communication. For those listening, parent communication is about living in the future—like saying, “If you don’t clean your room, you won’t get ice cream.” Child communication is about living in the past, thinking, “This is fun, and I don’t want it to stop.” Only adult communication addresses the present, asking, “Given this situation, what are we going to do about it?”
Worry tends to be forward-looking, like parent communication. The issue is, if you communicate from a parental perspective, others can only respond from a child’s perspective. This dynamic forces them into that role. Your business, composed of various people, will respond from a childlike state if you’re in a worry mindset. If you constantly express worry, your team may react defensively, saying, “But look at what we’ve been doing!”
Worry serves as a tool for parents to scare themselves about future possibilities that will likely never materialize. For business owners, it means wasting time considering what might or might not happen, often creating overly dramatic scenarios about the potential fallout.
Jackie: Exactly! As leaders, when we’re worried—even if we think we’re hiding it—that energy is felt throughout our entire team.
Mike: And that energy cannot be contained.
Jackie: Right. I spoke with someone today about changes they were implementing, and their team was worried they were running out of money. That’s not true; they’re simply growing and need to make changes to facilitate that growth. However, the team interpreted the situation entirely differently. So, whatever form your worry takes, it affects your team, even subconsciously, impacting their actions.
Mike: Absolutely. It’s like the law of attraction—your vibe attracts your tribe, as Michael Logie says. It can also repel people. If you enter a place and feel an immediate disconnect—like me in a dance club—you leave because it’s just not a fit. The same principle applies to business. There’s this misconception of work-life balance, but there’s only one life, composed of all your activities. If you focus on worry and all the bad outcomes, it can become paralyzing.
From a business perspective, forward motion is essential for progress. We’ve discussed the law of precession—once a bike or motorcycle is moving, it’s easy to maintain balance, but when it’s stationary, it’s difficult to keep upright. The same goes for business; worrying leads to stagnation. You must create forward momentum by channeling your worry into action. Remember, emotion is energy in motion.
Jackie: Exactly! If you’re worried, first consider: How is that worry helping you? What’s it causing to happen in your business and for the people in it?
Mike: Has it ever helped you?
Jackie: Exactly! So, what can you do instead of worrying?
Mike: You could make a decision and move forward!
Jackie: That’s right.
Mike: Just make a decision and act on it instead of sitting around worrying.
Jackie: So, if you’re currently worrying about something, ask yourself: What action can you take right now to propel things forward? Until next time, go kick some ass!