Fear. It’s something we’ve all had, all our lives.From the monsters living under your bed; the ghosts of your teachers chasing you down a dark hallway with all your missing assignments; to getting up in front of a crowd; fears come in all shapes and sizes. So how do we overcome even the biggest ones? We, as a society accept fear and impending doom as the only option, despite positive and safe outcomes. In a Canadian poll probing irrational anxieties amongst the public, examiner Allan Gregg asked, “If someone told you something was safe and someone else told you the same thing was unsafe, which one would you believe?” Gregg then found afterward that a surprising 68% of Canadians would accept the message of unsafety without question whatsoever. Why is that? When it comes to being a leader and broadening your leadership skills bank, fear needs to be something you rule out. It doesn’t have to be right away, but in the end, you can’t lead in fear. Whether it’s the constant fear of failure, criticism, making decisions, responsibility, etc, we can’t better ourselves as leaders if we brood in the idea of it. A true, courageous leader addresses fear right in the face. For example, if you fear failure, don’t let that be an option. Don’t let the thought of failure even cross your mind.Yes, failure is inevitable, but it’s a lot less likely when you don’t think of it. Imagine yourself in all the best scenarios, never the worst. On the other side of all your fears, is everything you’ve ever wanted. Freedom. Part of that fear of failure is also a huge fear of ourselves. We fear it because for once, it means looking in the mirror instead of pointing fingers. When it comes to fearing failure it also means fearing success and it affects every aspect of our lives. As humans, we refuse to take charge of our own fate, yet we complain endlessly about the situation we are in. Eleni Makedonas shares her moving story on how she overcame her fear of herself and her potential.
There are so many fears when it comes to leadership and they all affect us differently. When we’re leading in fear we make horrible decisions because fear makes us blind. If we’re hiding under the bed we can’t see what’s right in front of us. Which usually, in the end, is something that isn’t that scary. The crucial thing isn’t for a leader to be fearless but to overcome fear when they face it. Emma O
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