How Fear Affects Our Leadership

As leaders, we are no less susceptible to fear than anyone else, perhaps even more so. Often, with the weight of our responsibilities, we can experience fear of failure, suffer from perfectionism - the ever present dread appearing/being fallible. Some of us may grapple with imposter syndrome, stoking fears that our perceived inexperience or knowledge gaps are all that others might see. Zero-sum thinking may intensify our fear of losing something valuable, whether power, recognition, resources, or knowledge, if we share those things with others.

As women leaders, we can be particularly vulnerable to these fears and to the impacts of generational trauma inherited from the women before us. This historical trauma has left imprints in our instincts and responses, creating what can feel like a hardwired need to protect ourselves from loss or inadequacy. Our “old brain” quickly reacts to fear, as it is designed to keep us alive and viable, alerting us to any potential threats to our standing or safety. Throughout the years, as we as women have stepped into meaningful leadership roles in society and organizations, those instincts have both served us and hindered us.

Today’s media and social media platforms capitalize on these deep-rooted fears, often triggering a heightened state of anxiety to keep us engaged. This environment is designed to hook us, after all, each “like,” comment, or follower equates to more ad revenue. In such a system, immediate external validation offers a brief balm for our insecurities, giving superficial reassurance but failing to address the root of our fears. Leading based on shallow or misleading information, no matter how affirming or good it feels, is dangerous and irresponsible.

True leadership involves lifting others as we ascend. When we focus on our own relevance and standing, we may hold back from sharing opportunities, roles, or recognition with others, fearing that in doing so we lose our unique place. The seat at the table, a place on a committee, a spot on a panel or a chair on the board. I have experienced firsthand how insecurity can prevent some leaders from seeing the room available for another "other", in my case another woman, to join them at the table. Ultimately, we all rise higher when we help others to rise with us.

As a white woman in leadership, I take seriously my obligation to confront the reality that certain belief systems, fear responses, and biases have been passed down through generations. These responses, warped coping mechanisms, unfounded fears, and shared beliefs spawn from the experiences of our foremothers, who, sought security and status by upholding systems that prioritized their own lineage’s power and safety. This often meant that this matriarcal supporting of structures that kept certain groups in power, including white men, was a key contributor to systemic generational racism. These behaviors remain ingrained in our society to this day, all because of fear of "loss", of zero-sum belief systems.

To lead without fear, we need to envision a future shaped by the values that place the care of others at the forefront, those that support our communities, our families, and ourselves. In this country voting is about choosing leaders who are meant to represent our highest values, best qualities and create/uphold/protect our freedoms. It’s true that no candidate is perfect, and our nation faces deep-seated issues within our polity and economic systems that must be addressed, no matter which party is in power. But today, we face an unusual decision: supporting a candidate with a history of legal convictions and allegations. This choice has immense consequences for the standards we set for leadership at all levels.

We must ask ourselves: Do we want a situation where we are led by someone convicted of serious criminal offenses, where behaviors that thrive on division and fear become normalized? We all have concerns about the direction of our country, and we must pursue genuine reform on all levels and from all sides. But this election is also a moment to ensure that fear does not drive our decisions. As leaders, we can commit to transparency, accountability, and integrity as we tackle the issues that lie ahead. Let’s educate ourselves beyond sound bites and affirm a commitment to be leadership grounded in knowledge, courage, and the core value of caring for our fellow human being.

#leadfromstrength #leadfromknowledge #leadfromcourage #vote #antiracismmatters #leadershipmatters #leadwell