Leaders who use worry as the reason to do nothing are losers. But, successful leaders worry.
I’ve come to appreciate and respect the worries of my team.
Trust worried leaders; doubt the rest.
Lack of worry results in over-confidence.
Confidence doesn’t eliminate worry, it answers it.
Leaders who don’t worry:
- Need a firmer grasp on reality.
- Ignore opposition.
- Dream too much.
- Haven’t failed enough.
- Blame others for failures.
Plan for things to go wrong. They will.
12 strategies for dealing with worry:
- Explore don’t ignore.
- Create contingency plans. Planning answers worry.
- Rank your worries on a scale of 1 -10. Prepare for the big ones. Preparation answers worry.
- Pray.
- Determine who is trustworthy. How has the team performed in the past? Trust answers worry.
- Establish accountability. Who’s responsible for what? Ambiguity is legitimate reason for worry. Things don’t work out on their own.
- Ask for progress reports.
- Welcome the worries of your team. Don’t fight them. “I see what you mean,” is better than, “That’s not going to happen.”
- Take the next step toward success. The downside of worry is inaction. Winston Church said, “I never worry about action, but only inaction.
- Ask, “What will we do if the worst happens?”
- Seek counsel from experts.
- Err on the side of trusting qualified people.
For female leaders:
Worry is seen as more of a problem for women than men. Deal with the woman-worry-wart problem:
- Avoid saying, “I’m worried.”
- Frame your worries in the context of preparation.
- Say, “I’m trusting you to …,” if you feel worried.
Finally:
Successful leaders respond to worry with plans and action.
What are the dangers of worry?
How can leaders address the challenge of worry?