I love a good pop culture acronym, and FOMO has been on the scene for a while but perhaps hasn’t received the amount of tactical consideration it deserves. Fear of Missing Out is a very real thing that, without even knowing it, you may be suffering from!
What is FOMO?
By my own translation, the fear of missing out is demonstrated when people call into meetings while on vacation/PTO, incessantly respond to emails when they are known to be out of the office, and/or push to be invited to more meetings than their overloaded schedule will allow.
Why do people inflict such unnecessary pain on themselves? It’s because they are afraid they will be left behind; that someone else is going to shine more brightly than they will; that someone else will take credit for their work; or that they will no longer know it all.
Who suffers from FOMO?
Many factors contribute FOMO:
1.) The career-driven and ambitious are naturally inclined to this.
2.) Early career leaders who haven’t quite figured out how to make good use of their time and say “yes” believing they’re strategically making best use of their time.
3.) People who are not confident in, or comfortable with, their hierarchical status within the organization.
4.) Naturally, people whose bosses have FOMO.
5.) People who work for organizations that encourage FOMO!
How organizations encourage FOMO:
1.) The company doesn’t have rigorous or defined performance management processes in place.
2.) There are no employee feedback loops in place for when employees do miss meetings.
3.) Senior leaders don’t think strategically about their teams when they assign work—meaning if you aren’t in the room/on the phone you don’t exist on the project.
How to kill FOMO before it kills you!
I have employed some strategies in my own work life to alleviate tendencies to want to have my hands in every project or initiative. Specifically, in determining if I am truly needed in a meeting, this is what I do:
1.) Create the right filter. When tempted to engage in FOMO behaviors, I ask myself a series of questions to determine if my presence in a meeting is really necessary:
- Will my company suffer if I am not there (i.e., lose a bid for business or embarrass themselves because I am truly the only expert on this topic)?
- Will I be passed over for future promotions (as a direct result of missing this meeting) if I’m not there?
- If I find myself thinking I am the only expert on said topic, I ask myself again—this time checking my corporate ego. Let’s face it, most of the time we are not the sole genius in the building!
- Is there someone I can trust to serve in my place?
2.) Have I clearly communicated to appropriate stakeholders that someone is prepared to run things in my place?
3.) Have I prepared the person attending in my place with the following information/resources:
- History, background and supporting documents covering what will be discussed
- Key stakeholders are and their hot buttons
4.) Have I asked my backup for some reciprocity:
- Your backup should clearly mention that they are there to represent you or the work you’ve done together, "Give me a little credit for the work even though I can’t be there!”
- Have I been clear that this is reciprocal? If you make me look good, then I’ll cover for you in the future (strengthen that sphere of influence folks!).
5.) Don’t depend on your backup giving you all the details. Your job is to follow up with the person who did you the favor; ask for 10 minutes of their time to debrief and gain clarity on the deliverables that resulted from the meeting you missed.
If you find yourself suffering from a serious case of FOMO, there are other factors to examine outside of which meetings you attend. From what I have seen over the years in corporate America, tackling the meeting dilemma is a great start. Go enjoy your vacation, focus on that timely project, and give someone else a chance to shine in your place. It’s time to kick FOMO to the curb!
Post contributed by Tegan Trovato, Cielo Director of Excellence Initiatives.