A few days ago I was talking to another small business owner about how we never had trouble sleeping until we started our own companies. Now we sometimes find ourselves awakened, much like a child having a bad dream, 2:00-3:00 a.m.. We wondered why this happened. One word kept coming back into our conversation: fear . Since this is the month of spooky things and ghouls and goblins, I thought it appropriate to discuss fear in the workplace. Fear might crop into our minds when we sense responsibility for others, when we experience uncertainty, or when we deal with many “unknowns.” Whether trying to grow a company, making changes, or simply making payroll, running and managing a company or department is scary and hard. It entails making hard decisions. But while may overwhelm us, it sometimes can help. Fear is the mind’s way of telling us that danger is lurking ahead. But even though it may be justified, it can halt imagination and choke ambition. It can sometimes make simp