I was terrified! ...but I still did it!

Adventurers are often described as courageous. That doesn’t mean they’re not afraid!

Good leaders take many risks that could have severe consequences. They have to take risks if they want to grow, innovate, and keep their teams challenged. These uncertainties, fear of ?failure, exposure to criticism of taking those risks - all make them feel very vulnerable.

When I circumnavigated on the Clipper Yacht race for a year, I had to force myself onto the boat at the start of every leg of the race. I had this little voice fighting my instinct to flee, and egging me on: ‘You can’t turn around now. You must keep walking. One foot in front of the other. Just get on the boat... just do it…”. Every ocean crossing held so many unknowns. I was terrified!

But with every race I got more confident. I became stronger. I learnt to cope with the risks and the danger. I became addicted to the exhilaration of overcoming the fear and completing each race. I became more resilient.

Fear and courage walk hand in hand. As Bruce Lee said: “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to act in the presence of fear.” It always inspires me to stay focused on my goal even in the midst of the vulnerability that comes with the fear.

Many leaders aren’t comfortable with vulnerability because they associate it with weakness. They choose to rather stay safe and often hide behind compliance and structure.

But brave leaders are willing to be vulnerable because it is only through vulnerability that they can truly connect with the inner strengths of their team and their own courage.

Leadership is to consistently balance courage and fear to build resilience.

The more the risk or fear, the more courage it takes, and the more you learn and grow. ?

What has been your scariest moments as a leader? How did you cope with them?

Connect with me if you want to work through managing fear and courage, and to help you build resilience in your team so they can fearlessly face the future of continuous change.

https://trimyoursails.com/