In a golf skills competition, who do you think would experience the most performance anxiety: a PGA tour professional, a local teaching pro, or a total amateur? Leslie Sherlin, a neuroscientist, and I sought to answer that question as part of a research program on psychological and physiological pressure. We devised a three-stage pressure test, measured each golfer’s neuroelectric activity and heart rate during each stage, and asked questions to better understand the mental strategies the golfers used during the tests.
Free Your People from the Need for Social Approval
A good manager makes sure employees don’t worry about what others think of them.
From the Magazine (September–October 2023)
· Long read
Summary.
The best performers are able to push past the perceived limits of their potential, but the higher they rise on the career ladder, the more susceptible they become to scrutiny. They often fall prey to an anxious state the author calls fear of people’s opinions. FOPO is a hidden epidemic and may be the single greatest constrictor of individual and collective potential.
Concern about what others think is an irrational, unproductive, and unhealthy obsession—and a big contributor to the general anxiety people feel at work. This article discusses the causes of FOPO and how to help your employees break free from it.
A version of this article appeared in the September–October 2023 issue of Harvard Business Review.
New!
HBR Learning
Stress Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Stress Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
How to build resilience at work.