So I work with a few people that I feel are intelligent but don't seem to be working out well. After working with them for a while I have seen the flashes of brilliance but mostly I see a reliance on others. What I mean by this is that most times it seems like at the first moment of trouble they go ask for help. Now personally I am all for helping and spend a significant portion of time helping others with whatever they need, but after helping others for so long I have noticed a disturbing trend.

These people seem terrified that they might make a mistake and because of this they don't try. So my question is how can I motivate someone who is afraid of making a mistake? In my career I have always learned the most by making mistakes and learning from them. Personally I feel that if I hadn't learned so much I would never have made it as far as I have.

So how can I get them to discover that they have the ability to figure it out themselves and that if they make a mistake and learn from it they will be better off. I feel that if I can discover some way to properly motivate them that we all will be better off.