How Anxiety Shapes Leadership

Have you ever thought about how anxiety influences your leadership style? If you’ve ever been overthinking or overwhelmed by work and world events, I feel ya.?

The Impact of Anxiety on Leadership

When anxiety kicks in, it narrows our focus. Leaders tend to fixate on what feels controllable, often leading to one of these behaviors:

• The Controlling Micro-Manager These leaders tighten timelines, control tasks, and micromanage. They may come across as harsh, harming both relationships and team morale.
• The Passive-Aggressive People-Pleaser These leaders avoid discomfort by prioritizing others’ needs, which often leads to burnout. This subtle form of control can feel passive-aggressive to those around them.
• The Hopeful Collaborator These leaders learn to manage their anxiety by looking for possibilities. They embrace a power-with instead of power-over mindset, using tools like pausing, breathing, and emotional regulation.

Do you recognize any or all 3 of these leaders?

How to Manage Leadership Anxiety

Business challenges—like budget cuts, layoffs, and tight deadlines—are inevitable. The key is preparing your mindset before anxiety hits.

Here are a few tools I use to stop overthinking so I can get back to leading. Not all of these are going to work for you. Pick one. Try one.

• Pause and Separate from Your Thoughts: Sometimes, my brain is a jerk to me. I find when I say, “Thank you for sharing,” I can create space between myself and my crummy thoughts.
• Write it Down: You can't (or I can't) do calculus in your head. Putting your thoughts on paper can help you see what is really going on. It helps you identify what’s real and what’s just a story.
• Ask Grounding Questions: What would I do without this thought? What action would I take? How important will this be in 2 hours, weeks, or months?

Anxiety usually doesnt just disappear. You gotta build the muscle so it's there when you need it. How do you handle anxiety as a leader? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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Book a consultation with me HERE . I look forward to meeting you.