Did you know you can accurately predict an employee’s future work behavior simply by understanding what they fear?

As a 15-year master executive coach, I have found that once you identify the core fear driving a person’s behavior, you can also predict which jobs they would be best suited for.

Two specific core fears drive most human behavior:

• The fear of failure: not being good enough

• The fear of loss: not getting what one wants and needs

Those who fear failure tend to be pleasers. They’re often insecure and worry about being inadequate or less valuable than others. They struggle with feedback, criticism or judgment, and they often get defensive or guarded once they’ve received it. They also struggle with boundaries and saying no, and they need approval from others so much that they will sacrifice themselves to get it. They can also demand validation and be attention-seekers at times. If a candidate’s core fear is failure, you can expect some future behavior along these lines.

Those who fear failure do great as salespeople or service professionals because they sincerely care about people and relationships. They are givers and thrive in customer service, hospitality and other careers where connecting and caring about other humans matters. They make great nurses, counselors, caregivers, beauticians, artists, coaches, trainers or teachers.