Fear and Leadership

Fear works in short spurts because it is embedded into nature and nurture. It can change behavior quickly, but if it’s your “fast ball”, with no other pitches, it will eventually limit your potential. It’s not sustainable. As a primary form of leadership, it erodes relationships.

This isn’t meant to minimize the value that fear can play. The world has villains. Bad things happen. We need a healthy dose of fear in order to keep us safe. Yet, I find that fear is often overused, especially in leadership. A parent, teacher, or manager will be quick to announce consequences with the hope it will aid in driving performance, which it certainly can at times. However, when someone becomes driven by fear, they become reactive rather than proactive. While it can help with execution at times, it’s not a long-term strategy. What’s more, who wants to go through life in constant fear? Even if it can lead to results, is it worth it? For me, I’d rather be led by hope more often than fear. With hope we see possibilities and unlock our optimism. It can serve as the same spark as fear, but without the scarring.

This week let’s dial up the hope and dial down the fear. See how it fits. Not just for you, but also for the people you serve. You can always keep fear in your back pocket and use it if needed. Think of it as fire extinguisher: use only if needed.