Slow Down to Speed Up | The Power of Embracing Fear
© By Edvard Munch - National Gallery of Norway 8 January 2019. Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.
How do you relate to fear? Leadership often comes with a heavy burden: fear of failure, the unknown, wrestling with ballooning complexity, or making the wrong decision. Many leaders view fear as a weakness to hide, but fear is a natural human response. When properly acknowledged and managed, fear can become a powerful tool to inspire and connect with your team.
Understanding Fear as a Leader
Fear arises from uncertainty, complexity, responsibility, and the high stakes of leadership. As I quoted in a recent post, “Fear is fear. It doesn’t speak in riddles. Fear means you’re smart. You understand the risks.” Rather than suppressing this emotion, it’s better to view fear as a signal—a cue to pay attention, analyze, and adapt. Once you’ve understood and embraced it, you can appropriately acknowledge your fear with your team, thereby humanizing yourself and becoming more relatable.
Transforming Fear into Strength
The key to leveraging fear lies in acknowledging it, discerning any appropriate risk management, and then accepting the residual. It is powerful to reframe fear from a barrier to an opportunity to grow and lead authentically. When you model courage by confronting your fears, you create a culture of resilience and openness within your organization.
Here’s how:
1. Turn Towards Your Fear and Challenge Mental Distortions
For most of us, our first response to fear is to turn away. When we learn to get comfortable with discomfort – experiencing difficult emotions or sensations with curiosity and kindness, we often find the base difficulty is not as significant as our emotional amplification had suggested. Make sure you have examined the fear for any excess reactivity based on hidden decision architecture. Use curiosity to experience actual physical sensations that accompany fear, to discern as clearly as possible how the body is responding. Self-care is another helpful stage one response: appropriate exercise that makes you sweat is a great way to burn off neurotoxins from an overactive fear response. Once our body is no longer reacting as though it is about to be eaten by a lion, we can look again and inquire what this fear is trying to communicate.
Takeaway: Fear carries data. Managing any physical response can create room for curiosity to better discern what we know and don’t know.
2. Acknowledge Your Fear Openly
Pretending to be fearless can create a disconnect with your team, never mind the costs of being at odds with yourself. Instead, share your concerns transparently, while maintaining composure. Armed with the clarity of step one, try something like, "This project is innovative and faces significant challenges that concern me, but together, I believe we have what it takes to overcome them. Here are the risks I think we can control for, and here are those I believe we need to accept. What do you see?"
Takeaway: Vulnerability fosters trust and shows your team that it’s okay to face uncertainty. Getting buy-in for risk mitigation and acceptance strengthens teams.
3. Reframe Fear as Motivation
Fear often points to what matters most. If you’re afraid of a project failing, it’s likely because you care deeply about its success. Use that care as fuel to stay focused, plan meticulously, and rally your team.
Takeaway: Fear highlights priorities. Use it as a compass to guide your efforts.
4. Lead with Empathy
Your team experiences fear too—fear of underperforming, being judged, or losing their roles. By acknowledging your own fears, you create a space where team members feel safe to share theirs. This opens the door for honest communication and problem-solving.
Takeaway: Empathy strengthens connections and fosters a supportive work environment.
5. Model Resilience
How you respond to fear sets the tone for your team. Show them that fear is not a stop sign but a chance to regroup and adapt. When challenges arise, address them with determination and creativity.
Takeaway: Resilience is as contagious as fear itself. When you face fear head-on, your team learns to do the same.
6. Celebrate Overcoming Fear
When you and your team tackle fears and uncertainties, celebrate those wins. Recognizing these achievements reinforces the idea that facing challenges leads to growth and success.
Takeaway: Celebrating small victories builds confidence and encourages continuous improvement.
The Ripple Effect of Fear Harnessed
When leaders embrace and harness their fear, they not only grow personally but also inspire their teams to do the same. Fear is no longer seen as a threat but as a natural part of striving for excellence. This mindset shift creates a culture where innovation, adaptability, and collaboration thrive.
Key Takeaways for Leaders:
Turn towards fear to right-size it, then discern what you can learn from it.
Acknowledge fear openly to foster trust and relatability.
Reframe fear as a motivator to prioritize and act.
Lead with empathy to build a supportive team environment.
Model resilience to inspire adaptability in your team.
Celebrate overcoming fears to reinforce growth and confidence.
Final Thoughts
Fear is a part of every leader’s journey. By acknowledging, reframing, and channeling fear, you can inspire your team and foster a resilient, high-performing culture. Remember, leadership isn’t about being fearless—it’s about being courageous despite fear.
What’s one fear you’ve faced as a leader, and how did you turn it into an opportunity? Share your story in the comments and inspire others to lead boldly.
Summary: Leadership isn’t about being fearless—it’s about being courageous despite fear.