I propose a new job title: Manager of Fear. If every business had one, we’d keep good workers, raise morale and increase the quality of work — which is suffering mightily because everyone is running so scared these days.

This Manager of Fear has a simple job description: Help management and others see how their fear — when left unchecked — can lead to bad business decisions, mediocre work and possibly the demise of the business.

This person would have the smarts and authority to point out, for instance, when fear has crept into the daily practices of an otherwise good manager who cannot see that he has become a nervous Nellie micromanager. Permit me to name a few shining examples in businesses across America and Canada.

Gab Goldenberg, a search engine optimization consultant in Montreal, Canada, says although he and his client agreed he’d send a monthly report, he gets constant e-mails from them asking for status updates. Instead of doing the work the client needs, he’s busy responding to their e-mails.

This second-guessing and impatience has led to his work being “discounted or ignored, and the client doesn’t even take the time to read reports I’ve shared.” As a result he says, “I’ve switched from doing what I was contracted to do [and instead provide] inferior methods” that deliver faster results but lack sustainable, long-term value. That means “their business will lag further behind competitors who have a long-term view.”

Micromanaging

A graphic designer who works in advertising describes conducting business these days as “utterly ridiculous with people who used to trust my judgment now getting involved in every aspect of my work.”

“I know how to do my job. I’ve made good decisions for them the last five years. Now all of the sudden, one person says, ‘do it this way’ and another one says, ‘no, do it this way’ and I spend my day doing one thing then redoing it. They’re driven by fear instead of success.”

“After they’ve bogged down the process and changed their minds four times, interjecting advice on things they have no expertise on and wasting thousands of an already-stretched budget, they arrive at my original conclusion which was what I knew they needed in the first place.”

All of this makes the people trying to do the work, “miserable, frankly,” says Goldenberg. He says, “I’m not doing the work I set out to do. Working with folks whom the economy has put blinders on is extremely frustrating.”

A marketing professional with years of success points out how hard it is for people to see how trapped they are in this cycle of fear. “After a 15-year track record of making the right moves, somehow everyone thinks their instincts have short-circuited and no one can make the right call anymore. So they get their fingers into everything. Everyone’s worried about covering their butts on every decision they make.”

Of course fear is showing up in ways other than micromanaging. Workers are fearful for their jobs and afraid to speak up about problems they notice. A lot of people are afraid of making the wrong move.

But was there ever a right move? When did the goal change from doing good work to doing everything you can to make sure you don’t make the wrong move? It changed when you became fearful for your job. When you became fearful others wouldn’t buy your product or service. And when you let fear override your ability to make sound decisions. If there was such a job as Manager of Fear, it would be a very lucrative position today.

Andrea Kay is the author of “Work’s a Bitch and Then You Make It Work: 6 Steps to Go From Pissed Off to Powerful.”