--- title: "Fear of Failure: Don’t Scare Your Staff" id: "37163" type: "post" slug: "fear-of-failure-dont-scare-your-staff" published_at: "2017-03-02T23:25:20+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T18:46:20+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/03/02/fear-of-failure-dont-scare-your-staff/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/03/02/fear-of-failure-dont-scare-your-staff.md" excerpt: "Don’t let a fear of failure hold back your employees from putting their best foot forward. Also: Simple steps to help you improve your email marketing campaign workflow." taxonomy_category: - "Executive Leadership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "C-suite" - "Leadership" - "Safety" - "team dynamics" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Fear of Failure: Don’t Scare Your Staff Is your association not reaching its full potential because your people don’t feel safe to be their authentic selves? In a [recent article (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2017/02/21/come-as-you-are-to-this-association/) , Amanda Kaiser from Smooth the Path implores leaders to ask themselves if their association environment is one where staff and board members are too afraid to put forth an idea that might fail. “Lots of professionals don’t feel they can be themselves at work. They cannot be themselves because it is not safe,” writes Kaiser. “We have learned that it is not safe to say what we think. … It is not safe to fail. It is the lack of safety that prevents teams and associations from achieving their goals.” Kaiser details a few warning signs to look out for, which include team members not speaking up during meetings, meetings that feel overly competitive, and the team deferring to one outspoken person. How can you create an environment where employees are more willing to share ideas? “Psychological safety is the key ingredient to high-performing teams,” says Kaiser. Start with being aware of warning behaviors. She recommends that all team leaders and members know the signs people display when they feel unsafe. Furthermore, association leaders need to make it clear to their teams that it’s OK to fail, she says. “CEOs of very innovative associations spoke a similar mantra: Sure, we could fail at this, but what if we succeed?” ### Smooth Campaign Workflow > 5 Email Campaign Flow Tips I Use Every Day {Tips straight from our email campaign manager} [https://t.co/warW7pglgB (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/warW7pglgB) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/NkdtildVMw (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/NkdtildVMw) > > — Informz (@Informz) [March 2, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Informz/status/837298244199776257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Automating email campaigns is a huge timesaver**, but there are steps you can take to make it even easier. Informz, an email marketing provider, shares [five workflow tips (opens in a new tab)](http://www.informz.com/blog/marketing-journey/5-simple-campaign-flow-tips/) you should try before launching your next campaign. Make sure you have your campaign structure mapped out before you create the content. “Save yourself a few hours by building the foundation to the campaign before hanging drywall, slapping on paint, and putting it up for sale,” says Amie Perrott, a marketing specialist at Informz. This may sound simplistic, but also try setting up notifications for yourself for every step of the campaign. Reminders to monitor email performance or check on any discrepancies can help you know if you need to make any optimizations or corrections. Check out the post for [more (opens in a new tab)](http://www.informz.com/blog/marketing-journey/5-simple-campaign-flow-tips/) . ### Other links of note **How to be of service.** *Entrepreneur* reveals how the [“servant” approach (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/289730) [to (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/289730) [leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/289730) can help retain employees. **Raise more money.** *Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Marketing Blog*gives us six tips for [launching a member month campaign (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2017/03/02/6-tips-for-launching-your-own-member-month-campaign/) . **Mix it up!** Add more video to your [social media marketing content (opens in a new tab)](http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-add-video-to-social-media-marketing/) with these tips and tricks from *Social Media Examiner*. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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