May Busch* says caring too much about the outcome of a project can be as detrimental to progress as total indifference.
Moods are contagious.
I’ve seen apathy and indifference ruin careers and drag down entire teams.
When a team or business unit doesn’t care, it’s a recipe for failure.
But what about the opposite end of the spectrum?
In my experience, caring too much about a result can be as detrimental to progress as not caring at all.
You can easily go from taking positive action to obsessively fixating on a specific outcome you don’t control, which leads to overdoing it.
High achievers are especially at risk of sliding down this slippery slope.
Here are three ways that caring too much can show up as a liability, and what you can do about it.
Caring too much about the result:
Of course results matter at work, but problems arise when you get fixated on the result itself.
The outcome becomes the sole definition of success.
If you’re a basketball coach or player, that could be focusing solely on winning the game above all else.
At the office it might be focusing on hitting a project deadline.
Focusing only on the end result can lead to failure because it’s binary — you either win or you don’t.
You either hit your target or you don’t.
This can put so much pressure on you or your team that you end up underperforming your potential as a unit.
What you can do about this is get invested in the process — the things in your control — while remaining conscious of the desired result.
You’re more likely to get the results you wanted in the first place when you focus on the preparation and taking all the steps to put yourself in a position to succeed.
Even if you don’t, you can still be successful based on the process-oriented metrics you’ve put in place.
It is possible to do everything ‘right’ and still not get the outcome you were aiming for.
In the end, it’s about peace of mind.
When you’ve taken all the steps you possibly can, then it’s easier to let the chips fall where they may and still count your wins and learning along the way.
Being too emotionally involved:
People who are too emotionally invested will tend to overreact or cling on to things for too long instead of being calm and objective.
This version of caring too much is dangerous because it clouds your judgement.
Maybe it’s a pet project that you refuse to kill even though the results have been disappointing.
Or a prospective client that you keep pouring resources into, waiting for the big payoff.
I recommend you get someone impartial involved to advise you so you don’t get blindsided by possible pitfalls.
Having an objective ‘thinking partner’ you can talk through the issues with can keep you from making decisions that could hurt your reputation.
Caring too much about what people think:
To some extent, what other people think matters in your career.
After all, people promote people and the quality of our relationships often drives the opportunities to learn, grow and excel.
When you care too much, it becomes a drag on your performance.
You start to play smaller and become more cautious.
Maybe you stop speaking up when you disagree or hold back from making a point.
Perhaps you won’t push for what you think is right for fear it might offend someone important.
The reality is that this is a terrible burden.
It keeps you from living up to your full potential, and it sets you up for regret about the things you wanted to do or say but didn’t.
Instead, start to recognise when you’re making assumptions about what others are thinking.
Notice when you’re jumping to conclusions or fearing the worst.
This is the first step to shifting your mindset to a more productive one.
For me, it helps to write down all the ‘what if’ scenarios that I worry about, look at the worst thing that could happen for each, and assess how likely any of it will happen.
Then, I remind myself of two things.
First, that history has shown that what I imagine is always worse than reality.
Second, no matter what happens, I’ll still have my family, friends, and the trust of those I care about.
Finally, I tell myself to go for it, otherwise I’ll have regrets.
Regrets are a heavy weight to carry for the rest of your life.
*May Busch helps leaders and their organisations achieve their full potential by working with entrepreneurs and managements to build their businesses. She can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared on May’s blogsite.
