How to harness the emotion of fear and use it as a force for good in your Leadership

On December 1st 1955 Rosa Parks got on her usual bus to return home to her family after a long day at work, just as many thousands of us do every day across the world. She paid her fare and settled into her seat for what was the short trip home. That action is as mundane and ordinary as any we can conceive of as human beings in the modern world. Except in Rosa’s case she did not live in ordinary circumstances or times. She lived in Montgomery, Alabama. at the height of racial segregation and injustice in the southern states of the USA and the public transportation system was one of the most grotesque daily manifestations of that segregation and injustice. In that system, buses were split in white and “coloured” sections and all passengers were expected to conform. Rosa was not a difficult person, she certainly was not aggressive. Despite her personal feelings she complied, as all of her community did.

The principle was that each grouping preserved their own space and segregation was maintained. In practice what happed was that if the “white” section filled up, then those in the “coloured” section were told to stand. This was done by the driver simply moving the allocation of seats signs to change the allocation to accommodate the volume of white passengers. In an already inhuman set up, this was simply rubbing salt into a festering wound, the complete inequality and unfairness of the entire construction of racial segregation were represented in this construction. It was a major bone of contention for the black community, yet it was still accepted as custom and practice – what could anybody do about it? On that chilly December day – Rosa showed exactly what could be done when fear is not allowed to overcome purpose and a human being finally decides to stand for what is right not what is easy.

As the bus filled up with passengers, the driver moved the allocation to accommodate the white passengers and the black passengers were expected to move seats to accommodate this. Three of the four passengers occupying the seats who sat with Rosa moved. Rosa decided enough was enough, she moved, to accommodate but not out of the seat row she was in – that was enough compromise. The driver insisted, she refused again. The driver threatened the police, Rosa told him to go ahead – which he duly did and Rosa was arrested. The fuse of injustice had now been well and truly lit. Rosa was convicted and fined, she appealed and in that challenged the principle of racial segregation. On the day of the appeal trial the entire community boycotted the public transport system in protest, they continued that boycott for 381 days. The transport system collapsed under huge financial strain and the rule on racial segregation was repealed. The actions of one human being and a refusal to accept injustice and racial intolerance inspired mass peaceful mobilisation.

It is difficult for any of us to comprehend the feelings that Rosa Parks must have experienced in the early moments of her stand, she had been intimidated, she had been arrested, she was alone, 3 of her companions had moved. It would have been easy to accept the status quo. Yet despite all of that she had decided her purpose and values would no longer be compromised, no matter what the risks personally or challenges she would face – she was going to stay true to what she believed was right. The legacy of Rosa Parks in the fight for racial equality and justice will echo for an eternity.

In leadership our fears and insecurities are a very poor master but a useful servant. Left unchecked they will consume us and result in compromise and fudged decision making. When they are recognised and harnessed, they become a good checkpoint and point of reflection to ensure that we are not forsaking our values on a day to day basis.

Fear is a natural human emotion; anybody who says they don’t experience it is not accepting a fundamental reality of human nature. The true challenge for a leader is not to deny its existence but address the question of how they deal with it.?They can manifest themselves in many forms. In our insecurities, in our view of consequences, in our view of change, in our ability to empower, in our self analysis, in our ability to accept responsibilities. In all forms it acts like a fog in the pursuit of purpose. It makes us forget why we are doing what we are doing and it leads to atrophy and procrastination. Insecurity also leads to a position where the greatest resource that is available to us, people, feel under valued and underutilised as control and coercion become the dominant approach.

All Leaders must appreciate if they succumb to the forces of insecurity then they not only let down themselves but they have a fundamental impact upon many people around them in a prolonged and profound way. To be an effective leader it is important to fight against the prevailing forces of fear and insecurities that can consume you. Far too often it is easy to convince yourself that you are doing the right thing when in reality you are often doing the easy thing. Nobody likes to admit they are afraid, yet actually to assess yourself and accept that it is a condition that is knocking at your door and potentially affecting your decision-making process, is the start of the journey of how to address the challenge it presents.

A Leader can expect nobody else other than themselves to deal with their own insecurities and concerns, to do that they must be prepared to accept they exist and they have to harnessed. Ultimately they must be prepared to make the right choices, as opposed to the easy ones and this must be done day in day out, irrespective of the forces and pressures that may ask them to take a different path. The relentless requirement to be consistent in our harnessing of doubt on a daily basis in this is perhaps the greatest challenge of all. A successful leader must

-?????????Accept that recognising the achievement of others first and not their own, will not be to their own detriment in terms of profile, but will ultimately enhance your reputation amongst colleagues. To put others before yourself is a fundamental perquisite of true leadership

-?????????Accept they can get things wrong and as a result not be afraid to make tough calls because of a fear they may get things wrong. Nobody gets everything right every day – absolute perfection is the domain of fantasy. That things go wrong is not the issue, our response to that condition most certainly is. That is what defines us.

-?????????Accept they don’t have all the answers and not see asking for help as a reflection of weakness. Asking for help shows strength and assurance and invariably leads to better outcomes.

-?????????Accept that the development and promotion of colleagues will not result in their own position being undermined or result in a loss of influence – in fact the exact opposite will happen.

-?????????Not see empowering others with autonomy around decision making will result in a loss of control but create a upswell of positive energy amongst colleagues. Unleash the power of people and don’t be afraid of the wave of momentum it will create – it is invariably positive.

-?????????Understand that leadership is not about being liked, or disliked, but it is about being respected. And respect is earned by clear decisive decision making which is then executed with compassion and understanding.

-?????????Appreciate that a tough conversation is far better than avoidance. We all like to know where we stand – even if we don’t like the outcome. What nobody appreciates is to be isolated or left in the dark.

-?????????Realise that personal reflection and acceptance of a need to improve personally is not weakness – but a positive stamen of a growth mindset

-?????????Not be afraid to take the responsibility for the decisions that others in your team make, instead a reflection of trust and belief in those that work tirelessly for you.

-?????????Know what you stand for and stay true to it – be authentic in the pursuit of your purpose.

Fear should also never be confused with caution, they are not the same condition. Leaders should see caution in an approach to decision making as a reflection of maturity, that does not mean that once caution has been applied an outcome cannot be bold, it most certainly can be. Caution allows the opportunity to reflect and way up all actions, Haste, whilst given the perception of “dynamic leadership,” often leads later course correction and inaccurate outcomes.

It is clear that we all have fears and insecurities, without such feelings we would not be human beings. Leaders are most certainly not exempt. How we confront those fears and subsequently deal with them is what defines leadership. As Rosa Parks commented reflecting on the situation, she found herself in – “The only thing I was tired of was giving up.” When an individual reaches that defining moment and then proactively decides to walk a path that may not be the easiest but ultimately a path that will deliver their desired purpose – then they truly understand why we must never let fear win ,or erode the fire that burns within us, It is only winning that challenge can we ever want to deliver something truly meaningful.