“Medication Phobia Leadership is when the leader focuses more on their fear of the pain of the medicine instead of the pain of the problem needing the medicine.” RJS
Most of us hate the dentist. We don’t have anything against the person, we just hate the thought of someone leaning over us with plyers yanking out our teeth. When most of us were small, or as I say, our being little stage, going to the dentist or the doctor usually meant some sort of pain. We learned early on that a lollipop didn’t make it hurt less. The lollipop just taught us this: with pain there is a reward of something sugar coated.
Well as the world and biology works, we all grow up, at least physically. Although, most of us still think that fixing something or curing an illness means pain in our forecast. This fear of pain is instilled in our memory banks, and we quickly forget the pleasure from the lollipops. That is - until Mom reminded us before our next dentist visit.
“Today’s Technology allows anyone with a spark of curiosity to create flames of knowledge.”
Today, a leader has more information at their disposal than ever before. Leaders have the ability to learn ways to improve from the exorbitant amount of information at their figure tips. The Information Age, which I believe history will call these times we are in, has given us the ability to use technology in ways like never before. Technology allows anyone with a spark of curiosity to a create flame of knowledge.
So, I know you’re asking what advances in technology have to do with going to the dentist. Think about the last time you decided that something was wrong with your business; maybe it was a personnel issue, a delivery issue, your product becoming less and less important to your customers. Whatever the issue was, you as the leader knew, you could easily learn ways to solve the problem. You have at your fingertips the ability to research appropriate actions. Smart, innovative leaders collaborate like never before in history. The amount of information available is mind blowing.
All good leaders can find and comprehend the medicine or prescriptions needed to make better that which must be made better. The problem is the pain of the prescription seems to outweigh the benefit after the prescriptions works. At least, this is what we tell ourselves. We don’t like dentists; we procrastinate and don’t make the appointment, even though we can’t function with the mind numbing pain of the toothache.
So with all this information at our disposal, if we don’t utilize the information, and more importantly act on the prescription - we absolutely should! Actually, we must realize the better way, and the pain it causes is merely the price leaders pay in having the honor to lead.
“Never allow your instincts to be defeated by your perceived desperation.” RJS
When in your heart you know changes are needed, focus more on the reason why than the temporary pain in enacting them. Leadership is a responsibility that doesn’t have time to continuously change the dentist appointment. The same satisfaction you got from the lollipop as child will once again be the outcome.
R.J. Stasieczko
Ray Stasieczko
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