Making decisions out of fear is common, and instead of playing to win we, many times, play not to lose.   Even though we know these decisions aren't good ones, we make and commit to them anyway, because we're afraid of losing.  What tends to happen in frightening circumstances is that we pull in, physically and mentally.  We play not to lose, and focus on what we don't want instead of what we do want.

For small business owners, what fear-based decision-making may look like is not investing in things that will grow the business, such as advertising, marketing, or training.  What if it doesn't work?  For larger organizations, fear-based decision-making manifests in large groups of employees hunkering down, laying low, hoping that they won't get laid off.