Why Fear is the (Company’s) Mind Killer

December 11th, 2014

Although much has changed in how we work, the scary boss remains a cliché of modern work culture. But the fact is, fear diminishes mental productivity. In jobs where problem-solving is critical, the anxiety induced by an intimidating company culture is counterproductive for everyone, and damaging to company performance over the long term. For this reason, 10x’s management style is founded on helping talent “feel their best to do their best”.

We recently covered how productivity improves when workers control when and where they work. The benefits of controlling your work environment include both surrounding yourself with positive elements (e.g., favorite work music), as well as eliminating negative elements that hinder your mental processes – such as a fear-inducing boss.

In his New York Times essay, Why Fear Kills Productivity, Ton Schwartz shares the evidence against stress as a motivator and explains the rationale for replacing it with care and appreciation. He also shares tactics for workers to use to buffer the pain and drain of bosses who activate their “fight or flight” response.