Optimize Your Anxiety

For thousands of individuals, anxiety is a facet of their daily life. Looking at my own life, I can recognize its role not only in how I saw others from an early age, (at age 4 I felt it the night my father died), but also how it appeared in a very cerebral way when over four decades later I found myself with a lump in my throat and clammy hands speaking at the United Nations. However, the latter, that is speaking at the UN, as part of my work as an author and advocate, is what I now frame as “productive” anxiety. According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, a healthy amount of stress (i.e. performance anxiety) can help increase one’s performance, and I know firsthand that this aided my preparation and delivery at this high-profile venue.

So, yes, according to researchers some stress and anxiety are worthwhile. For example, in the context of safety, we know a certain dose of anxiety can be healthy. For example, knowing a blizzard is expected may mean a change of plans, so one isn’t on the road. In this situation, safety is ensured. And when it comes to work and achievement, the role of anxiety in these settings is something worth acknowledging.

As Americans we are taught to never let others see you sweat, but realistically this is often easier said than done. Sometimes our inner thoughts appear on our faces — a furrowed brow, a clenched jaw or a grimace around our lips. So, how anxiety interacts within the lives of individuals, in particular when it comes to performance is a topic that is of interest to me and other leaders. When I noticed the chapter title, “Optimize Your Anxiety” in Matt Higgin’s new book, Burn The Boats, I read it immediately.

After all, when it comes to professional relationships, anxiety is often the thing that can impact the work product and can also determine the way we treat our colleagues. It is worth noting, the relationship we have with ourselves, be it emotional, physical, or mental, can also impact the way we are able to show up for others and our work.

In the world of business, Higgins is an executive fellow teaching at Harvard Business School and a well- known former “shark” on the hit television show Shark Tank. When it comes to one's work, Higgins recommends you spend the time auditing both your mind and body. He says it is essential to ask yourself this question: Are you comfortable?

Higgins says if you’re answering in the affirmative then something is wrong. He writes, “Being comfortable means that you have excess capacity, and you’re not maximizing your potential…Comfortable is how great people plateau.”

While this plateau is what some may privately (or publicly) crave because it provides quiet and a sense of stability, it can also be what separates those high achievers from the average. It does take extraordinary effort and mindset to transform anxious thoughts into a high performance. On a smaller level, people can start to embrace their fears and vulnerabilities. For example, reaching out and asking for help is a tangible way of fully acknowledging you can't do everything on your own. For leaders who lead with compassion, this can be an opportunity to both listen and learn from employees.

The capacity to look at a current job situation and make it the best role is far better for you than simply fading into the background. What’s essential, according to Higgins, is to “make yourself indefensible at whatever task you are assigned, no matter how menial or seemingly trivial.”

If you’re hoping to mimic Higgins’ success then it is important to understand his backstory. As a high school “dropout” he attended Queens College at night because he was a caregiver for his mother. Due to severe health issues she used a wheelchair, and in her darkest of times, according to Higgins, would make threats about ending it all.

Higgins used these memories and a burning desire to attend an Ivy League school as a catalyst for entering Harvard Business School, not as a student, but as an instructor. Higgins did his homework and found someone who would listen to him about his proposed business course. As a private investor at a firm he co-founded with Stephen Ross, Higgins used his professional experiences to pitch himself as a subject matter expert in the direct-to-consumer space, and created a course he co-instructed with Professor Len Schlesinger.

Fully recognizing that you can’t do everything on your own and you do need someone to listen to you and encourage you along your path is another way to manage stress. Higgins also recommends mediation, along with knowing what you can and can't change.

Higgins says fear can be a catalyst for positive change. He writes, “Fear can do all sorts of great things for you.” And yet, the author cautions that if it becomes overpowering it can hurt you.

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When it comes to mental health, Higgins isn’t shy about sharing his own challenges. Higgins says he’s struggled with anxiety, insomnia and obsessive worries about things he both could and couldn't control. In a conversation with me, Higgins said he sought professional therapeutic help and hopes by sharing this it will encourage others to do the same.

Higgins also thinks leaders should take the first step with their staff and “invite people to tell you what’s happening” in their lives. This type of transparency may seem audacious, but in this new work world it is time, Higgins believes, for leaders to connect with others in an authentic way.

And had this work-anywhere-environment been available decades ago when Higgins was a high school student he says his (now late) mother would have been able to work from their home. He reflects, “My mom would have had the dignity of work. Today, there would be a lot of (work) things for her. In this new world there would be a place for her.”