8 Ways to Overcome Fear and Find Courage
Gutless leaders aren’t leaders. Separated from courage the other components of leadership like decision making, problem solving, and vision casting are meaningless drivel.
Cowardly Leaders:
- Close their ears to criticism.
- Attack critics.
- Use anger to fuel action.
- Make excuses.
- Refuse to change their minds.
- Change their mind too quickly.
- Defend poor choices.
- Play office politics.
- Pass the buck.
- Lie.
- Don’t trust others.
- Undermine the success of others.
- Talk too much so others can’t talk.
- Correct more than complement.
Courageous leaders:
Courageous leaders speak the brutal facts with kindness. Frequently, anger or fear gives fearful leaders the “courage” to speak the brutal facts. On the down side, anger and fear make them seem belligerent and unapproachable.
Courageous leaders lift others; fearful leaders put others down. One reason leaders withhold honor is they fear high performers. They fear being overshadowed.
Courageous leaders dare to surround themselves with highly talented people. Fearful leaders are more confident around incompetence.
8 Ways to find your courage:
- Share your fears with trusted friends. Secretly harboring fear gives power to fear.
- Give yourself to a noble purpose or challenging vision.
- Find a boss who stands behind you.
- Make a wise decision that makes someone unhappy and see if the world comes to an end.
- Think of what you can do. Stop whining about what you can’t do.
- Take small steps forward rather than giant leaps.
- Focus on your strengths more than your weaknesses.
- Know and accept yourself. It’s incredibly easy to define ourselves by the work we do. That creates fear. Take a deep breath and get in touch with your own values and passions and then pursue them.
What turns leaders into cowards?
How can leaders develop courage?
Other posts on courage:
How to Bring Caution and Courage Together
always you are Wonderful Sir.
Your posts are the new daily conversation-starter for me and my husband.
I couldn’t get the serenity prayer out of my head with this one: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Fear turns leaders into cowards, fear of a loss of power, fear of failure, fear of judgment.
Your 8 ways to overcome fear are how fear can be overcome. The thing to note about your suggestions is that fear can rarely be something addressed on your own. 2 of your points suggest bringing in those you can trust to go through the process with you. I saw a quote from a 10-year-old the other day, “I’m never afraid when I’m not alone.” To overcome fear people need to accept the vulnerability that exists and then surround themselves with enough defenses to combat it. Others are often necessary for true courage to happen. MMF
What turns leaders into cowards?
May be fear to lose their job, or fear for their team to lose their job.
In political situations fear for their followers to get punish or killed. Fear of getting kill themselves.
Fear can turn into cowards some leaders but it has also shown to be a good leader developer!
I think wanting to be liked is one of the major factors that turns leaders into cowards.
Good morning Dan. Great to read your discussion regarding fear, courage and leadership on this day of “world kindess” or so I have been told. “Fear tends to be a reaction and courage is a decision” (Joe Tye I think). Fear and Faith both describe a future event, arguably one portends “good” and the other although not always “danger.”
I believe there can be “healthy fear” vs. “destructive fear.” The former always includes our team and how we act in moments of crisis to strengthen their resolve. The latter involves our personal trepidations which we should have ckecked at the door when we decided to lead them.
Courage is bolstered by faith in our V/M/V and our team. Brave acts happen every day that go unnoticed unless the leader is vigilant. Courage is the bedrock leaders provide so others can excel. Courage comes in many different flavors. There is the courage that urges us to say yes when it is only our “gut” that is speaking. There is the courage to say no when our vision stretches beyond today with learned glimpses of yesterday. Courage does not hinge on popularity, it does not straddle the fence, and is flanked by truth, trust and determination.
Courage cannnot be learned nor taught. It must surface from deep within us fueled by the passion of righteousnes and couched by compassion and love. Developing courage is a life long endeavor and never complete, while cowardice spurts over moments which linger and haunt us. Collective courage is always the strongest but the igniting spark is flicked by the leader who then sits back and lets others stoke the fire. Great leaders have the courage to enjoy other’s triumphs and don’t fear staying in the shadow. Cheers 🙂
How can leaders develop courage?
By having a mission they truly believe in, for principled reasons and constantly reminding themselves that others are relying on them to achieve that mission.
Great article
“the only thing to fear is fear itself.” Winston Churchhill