Harvard Business Publishing

There is a cliche that leaders are fearless. Realistically leaders are humans too therefore they have to express emotions too. To me an effectively leader knows how to control their emotions.

My father is a Pastor and he, like many spiritual leaders, has a way of providing words of comfort in, among other things, fearful times. He often describes fear as an acronym standing for "False Evidence Appearing Real". This has always rung true for me. Even when situations are bad the fear element makes it worse. This is why I try to stay very centered regardless of the circumstance. In theory, my calmness should translate to those who I'm leading and give comfort, however that's not always the case. But even if it calms people only 85% of the time, that's better than not at all. I concur with Mr. B, leaders must be able to handle fear.

I have had the pleasure of working under a leader, who had an uncanny ability to delegate responsibility, be tough and be transparent with her staff, without seeming weak or inadequate. Her motto, although only implied was, if I can't fix it, then let's find out who has the strength to do so (even if that person is my "subordinate." With that being said, I would add a very important caveat to Baldoni's conclusion: a good leader isn't one that simply maintains a fearless front, but one who admits when they are uncertain, and seeks a solution. I think it's perfectly appropriate and realistic for a caucasion Principal of a 100% African American middle school, who has had great academic success rates, admit fear and a sense of powerlessness in a cultural crisis, where some of the students may become suddenly involved in a violent act. The more important characteristic in situations of fear is honesty and balance. Leaders are there to inspire and be a "backbone," but strong at all times in front of subordinates, I don't think so.

Fear, as John stated in my opinion is also "False evidence appearing real". As leaders, we tend to over analyze situations which often develops into fear. "What if this happens, What if I make this move......?” Essentially, we are giving our imagination the room to congest our minds with unproductive thoughts. Stephen Covey states "As a man thinketh, so he is". With so much responsibility as a leader it is impossible to be a superhero all the time. In fact, the best way to attack fear is to be transparent to your subordinates with confidence. Simply stating "I'm not sure what is going to happen, but I have confidence we will do our best as a team" is a great leaders. Personally, I admire a leader that can be transparent but bold in uncertainty, it is much better than being confident in fear. As leaders, like Baldoni suggested we need a support system to vent out our fears and frustrations to help move us along the way. However, the top can be so lonely.

I believe that at times, fear could lead to disappointment. Fear is a powerful feeling and it could appear to others as a sign of insecurity and weakness. Through my culture, I learned as I grew up, that people and in particular men who cried or show signs of fear were considered to be weak. I am a strong believer that, there is nothing wrong with showing emotions and expressing your feelings. Of course, we have to know when and how to do it. Always thinking about the “what happens if” scenarios, as Baldoni talked about.

Moreover, I agree with Baldoni that is always good to think and/or talk to someone else about the fear. This could help ease the situation and possibly provide with strategic plan to move forward.

There was a time when I was working for someone who was very arrogant and competitive. This person seemed to be in control of most situations. Until one day, he got in trouble and was consumed by fear. The fearful reactions and behaviors caused me to lose all the confidence in him. Unfortunately, I also saw his reactions as a sign of weakness and being powerless. I have to agree with Baldoni that, if possible, it is better to remaining in control when being in public. Isn’t that what politicians do?

Being in control could allow a person to think more clearly and possibly make more rational decision. Knowing how and when to manage fear could be a difficult and challenging thing to do. How can you stand up to fear and more forward? I do not know. However, as Baldoni stated, “…this requires determination and courage. To that, I will add – practice, practice, and practice. Caused

Fear is a safety mechanism that all human beings have, at one point or another e.g. it prevents from putting our hands on a open flame. The more we have at stake ( the future of an organization, of our family or our own) the more we have to fear. Fear could be strong enough to paralize our thinking process and block our creativity. It is then that our fears become weaknesses and they will be percieved by those around us.
On the other hand, when we aknowledge our fears and use them to our advantage to anticipate outcome, then we feel prepared. We have the confidence of knowing that we have control of the situation, and our fears have worked to our advantage. Those around us will also share that confidence. We also need to aknowledge that there are certain outcomes that we will not be able to forecast, but we can rely on our thinking process and creativity to find the best solutions. Thus, leaders should be concious that feelings are very contagious and that fear can lead to panic or to confidence within an organization. The determining factor is how fear is handle by its leaders.

Fear is a strange emotion in that we often spend so much emotional energy fearing things that never materialize. Fear is found when your anxiety and your imagination meet. A leader must realize that what s/he imagines is oftentimes far worse than what the reality is. Once this is acknowledged, a leader can get down to the business of finding solutions, and moving forward.

I believe to expect a leader not to have some level of fear is unrealistic. As humans we all experience some level of fear, what is important is how that fear is managed and communicated. People in leadership roles should be aware that non-leaders are not ignorant to situations that may generate some form of fear. A true leader is aware that 'all eyes' are watching how the fear is managed. The methods listed for reducing fear are important but I believe that it is okay to show some level of vulnerability; if not the people whom you are guiding will sense a falseness which weakens trust.
I agree whole heartily with the suggestion that a leader should confide in persons that they do not work with or lead. Talking with a trustworthy person allows for constructive feedback and allows for the leader to rid him or herself of venting. A leader has to use discretion when communicating, if at all, with their staff or colleagues. Every episode of fear does not have to be shared as a leader should display a level of confidence and capability to make decisions. When deciding to share concerns, a leader should not weigh down their staff with too much information. Nor should a leader flower it up or water it down. The information should be presented in a way that is informative and allows for growth and opportunities.

Being realistic is exactly what you need when leading with fear. A key element in dealing with fear, Baldoni points out that a leader should play out all the scenarios. These scenarios may help us make a clear decision. As an independent contractor you have to deal with fear when your contract is up for renewal. You can not let your fear lead you into a pitfall of destruction because you have a team of people that trust you and your judgement. Baldoni sums it up well when he says, "stand up to your fear and acknowledge its prescence". if you do not acknowledge its prescence it will be hard to make critical decisions. The fear we have as leaders could have a greater effect on the people we lead. Expressing your fear in a calm fashion and at the right time can be essential when others are counting on you. Lastly, as leaders we have to remember when we fail there is always a lesson to be learned. "Dust yourself off and try again."

I agree fear is a natural human instinct, and as others have said in their postings no one can avoid it. Response, not reaction, is one of the most important methods of channeling fear. Decisions deriving from fear should not be emotionally-based, but rather logically and methodically planned.

My supervisor is amazing to watch in action. She is strong, resilient, and very patient. When dealing with emergent issues (which is daily), she remains calm under enormous pressure, and never openly exhibits (or she may do so privately among a trusted few) any sense of fear.

Fear is a natural and human emotion that at times can be very difficult for oneself to acknowledge in a given situation. I have to agree with Baldoni when he makes the point that humans fear mostly the unknown than the known considering that as humans you can feel more comfortable controlling a situation when one knows what it is or when one can anticipate certain criterias in that situation. However, how does a leader manage a situation he/she does not know what may happen? This is when the sense of fear realistically speaking take over some leaders and make them loose control.

I have never witness a leader with fear. Leaders should never display fear. Leadership come from the word "lead", when you lead you inspire, engage and communicate effectively. Leaders have a high level of confidence or they would not be considered leaders.

Yes, there will always be a situation where leaders will be faced with fear, however they must be able to control it or it may have a negative perception on them. Displaying fear as a sign of weakness, Senior leaders and upper management get low productivity from staff when fear is not constructively handled.

COST OF FEAR

As we deal with the fear, one also has to look at the COST OF FEAR.

While there are some positives of FEAR, because of creativity and breaking the stagnation in the traditional thinking, beyond a certain limit the COST OF FEAR is worse than the actual breakdowns, e.g.
1. Damage to Health
2. Damage to Relationship
3. Damage to Self - Esteem
4. Inappropriate Actions leading to Damage to Credibility
5. Compromising the Future

Thinking of the COST OF FEAR, will have us look at that FEAR mindset is ultimately a LOSE LOSE situation.

Just the realization of that, inside of a supportive environment can help us start looking at the Opportunities in the breakdown.

Also, there is a need to look at our default modes of responding to breakdowns and see, if we could build a new way to approach the original dream. One way is closed, many others can be opened.

Thanks
Manoj Onkar
President
IndiaNIC Infotech Ltd
www.indianic.com
manojonkar@gmail.com
Pre

What i experiance is that even a leader some time does't knows that he is in the situation of fear. My problem is how to initiate the process of Managing Fear if he don't noticed. What i feel in this situation leader normaly review and noting any changes in events in day to day activities which is not normal so that he can feel the diffrence in his behavier which cause by fear.

"I think it's perfectly appropriate and realistic for a caucasion Principal of a 100% African American middle school, who has had great academic success rates, admit fear and a sense of powerlessness in a cultural crisis, where some of the students may become suddenly involved in a violent act".

Amber,

What?

Leaders are people too and tend to feel and show emotions. Even if someone tries to hide an emotion it will eventually find its way out through nonverbal clues and people will read the hidden message in some way. The best leaders are those who are transparent, honest, open. Employees cannot work towards a common goal unless the leader explains the "real" situation. I would prefer to have a leader who is willing to be open and honest so the entire team could share in both the positive and negative aspects of business life. John Wayne was a great character in movies, but his stoic, no-nonsense cowboy approach does not work in the office.

Since there has been good discussion on fear being an acceptable human emotion and whether it should be displayed by a leader I will not contribute further. What I would like to contribute is a powerful tool that is a valuable addition to leadership and management toolkits. Called EFT - it provides almost instant relief from fears and stress brought about by any cause.

Whilst a fairly recent advancement on hypnosis, and may require a leap of faith for some - all I can ask is that you at least spend 30 minutes learning about EFT and try it for yourself. You can learn the technique in just a few minutes, and use it on yourself anywhere, anytime. Check out this resource for EFT on Stress:

http://www.lifesuccesshabits.com/EFT/EFT_Tapping_For_Stress_Relief.php

Gail La Grouw
Managing Director
Coded Vision Consulting
Business Intelligence Specialists

Being realistic is like playing chess or the art of being a good debater; you must always stay a step ahead and plan for all outcomes. This is imperative not just for good leadership but when it comes to fear as well – it gives you confidence.

When you confide in someone it must be a person who will challenge you and what you are putting before them. Through their strength, it will force you to lighten up and give you inspiration.

"Standing up to fear, acknowledging its presence, and resolving to move forward, requires determination, and yes courage. That's the stuff of leaders". -- Baldoni

These two sentence from Baldoni's blog 'Managing our Fears' (October 8, 2008), really popped out to me this week. I told my boss that he intimidates me. I should have not said this. I was driven by the fear of not being good enough for my job and not performing well. My fears of not possibly being a possible candidate for a permanent job at this organization and not fitting in is driving crazy and not allowing me to be myself at the workplace. With my statement to my boss, I followed up by saying that perhaps I am not a leader, and do you know what he said? He said a leader is having the courage to acknowledge my weaknesses and move forward.

I hope that this helps me move forward with my head up and more confidence about my abilities to perform.