This is a three part question.

First: Do you fear the leaders of your organization? Do you tremble when you get called to the office, knowing that most interactions are going to be confrontational? Do you think those leaders were put in their position of power because they are good at heavy handed commanding?

Second: Do you internally fear being a leader? Does the thought of leadership terrify you and paralyze you? Does the mere thought of being in charge of others and trying to guide their directions in your business make you sweat?

Third: If you answered yes (or even maybe) to either of the first two questions, then what can you do to realize the impact fear has on you?

There is no question that fear can be a powerful motivator, but that doesn’t make it a positive or a negative. It simply is a way to focus and keep on track. But the wheels can be shaky, and the results of a fear based form of management can have quiet but cancerous results in an organization. On a personal level, is fear holding you back? Is your internal fear manageable? Can you use fear to your benefit?

What if we took external fear (fear pushed upon us by others) and renamed it “somebody else’s annoying personality quirk”?

And what if we took internal fear and renamed it “another tool in my toolbox, a tool that I own and I control”?

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Further reading:

Huffington Post: How Fear Gets in the Way of Leadership

Entrepreneur Magazine: Do Effective Leaders Use Love or Fear in the Workplace?

Inc. Magazine: Three Types of Fear That Are Hindering Your Growth as a Leader

“You don’t overcome fear by targeting fear. You feel fear because of what you believe will happen.” read more