I (still) Ain't Neva Scared!!!

Neva Scared…

Once again, fear is a fake motivator. You can’t turn a company around or drive a company forward out of fear. You can’t encourage brilliant work, creativity, or increase productivity out of fear. The last thing you want is people coming to work every day afraid. Fear breeds stress, aggravation, and stagnation. Another thing about fear: It only works for so long. At some point people stop being afraid of you. That’s when they start undermining your authority or quit on you all together. Or worse.

Fear makes the person that’s afraid of you feel weak and helpless and nobody wants to feel like that. Another thing about fear is that it’s a vampire—it sucks the other emotions right out of you. So even if you like the person or respect that boss or colleague, your fear bleeds those good feelings dry until all that’s left is resentment and anger.

I knew this kid that everyone was afraid of. (On the streets you seldom admit to being afraid of someone, you say, “He/She’s crazy!” which basically means that person might do what you’re afraid to. If you stepped on his shoe he’d swing. If you swung, he’d grab a gun. “That’s Chicago way,” as Connery told Costner in The Untouchables.) So people stayed scared and he ran wild. But one day something happened: Some kid—a younger kid—got tired of being afraid and shot him. Dead. No more fear.

 So lead thru respect. Lead thru encouragement. Lead thru understanding and professionalism. To lead any other way just isn’t leadership.
 

What’re they gonna do, fire me?

Every company has at least one problem or person that if openly challenged, will get someone fired. Every industry has at least one practice that if exposed would get someone blackballed. The saddest part about writing this book was the realization that most ad agencies won’t want me around once this book gets popular. It raises too many questions, exposes too many practices and challenges too many people. My pops once told me that a man should never burn his bridges. I’m fully aware that this book is one big canister of napalm on most every bridge I’ve ever crossed. But you know what? It was necessary.

Knock The Hustle raises issues that need to be openly addressed once and for all. But more importantly, much of this book is the voice of thousands upon thousands of business professionals I’ve met over the years, all of whom were afraid to speak the truth themselves for fear of retaliation. So when it comes to “shook ones” and denial, know that Knock The Hustle is the child of those parents.

The fear of man bringeth a snare…
—Proverbs 29:25