How FOGF (Fear of Getting Fired) Keeps You from Succeeding

YOLO stands for “You only live once.” FOMO means “fear of missing out” according to the youth these days. Therefore FOGF means “fear of getting fired.” It’s a pretty new phrase. You probably haven’t heard of it. OK, I just made that up. There’s actually a real term for it: Ergophobia.

I used to think that FOGF was a great trait to have. After all, employees who fear getting fired are not going to do things wrong, right? Right. The kicker is that FOGF can also keep you from taking risks and showing initiative.

Author Margie Warnell told Forbes that “ Indeed, advances in brain imaging technology can now verify that we human beings are wired to be risk averse. In other words, we find it much easier to settle with the status quo, keep our mouths closed and our heads down rather than make a change, take a chance,  or speak up and engage in what I call a “courageous conversation.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2013/06/18/take-a-risk-the-odds-are-better-than-you-think/

While that’s true—and you probably won’t get fired for keeping quiet—you also won’t be on the top of the list for getting a promotion.   Marie Claire states that fear holds back our creativity and stops us from doing our best work.

http://www.marieclaire.com/career-advice/tips/a9733/reasons-to-never-fear-getting-fired/

So how do you overcome a phobia? This is not one of those fears that you can get over by facing. I repeat: DO NOT GET YOURSELF FIRED JUST SO YOU WON’T BE AFRAID OF IT ANYMORE.  Try some of these ideas the next time you get called into your boss’ office and immediately jump to the worst conclusion:

1.       Know the warning signs of getting fired. My favorite idea is to combat phobia with facts. Have you been warned? Probably not. Keep a list of small accomplishments to remind you that you are doing OK.

2.       Stay on top of your savings. While this won’t help the actual phobia, some of the anxiety can be reduced if you know you won’t be in trouble if you do get fired.  3.       Try meditation, exercise or another outlet to curb anxiety.  4.       If you think your phobia is beyond self-help, seek out a professional to help you work through your problems.

Jessie Gable
Research Assistant
Global Recruiters of Huntsville
Office 256.533.1444 x200
Fax 256.418.4485
jgable@grnhuntsville.com
www.grnhuntsville.com