Why are leaders fearless?

Leaders have extra energy because they conserve it rather than wasting on fears.

Most of us generate self-inflicting fears. These fears are usually because of the unawareness rather than uncertainties. One of the most common quality among leaders is that they are fearless. Leaders educate themselves to fight against their fears. The fearlessness makes them dare to walk firmly towards the mission.

Fear creates second mind & we get into the trap of 'double mind'.

This second mind which is full of fears pull us down & we digress from our objective. Security is mostly mental phenomenon. There is no mechanical lock in the world which thieves can't break but we put them on our doors. I have realised that the locks are mostly for the owner of the house rather than the thief. For thieves, locks are just deterrents which delay their task.

Most of the times fears are virtual.

Fear is the function of perception. Snake bites human because it develops perception of fear. Many wild animals attack humans because of their perception of threat. But perception is the function of knowledge and belief. Leaders know the sources of fear. They develop knowledge. Their beliefs are scientific, rational and grounded in their experiences.

Leaders know value of everything & they also know nuisance value of people & things they encounter.

Leaders cover their risks carefully considering the damage inflicting power of people and other factors in the environment. They don't undermine any such factor which will challenge their plan of action.

Two examples of such careful planning can be given from the life of the great Maratha worrier 'Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' (the Mumbai airport & the main train terminus in Mumbai is named after him). He went to meet the Mughal emperor of India (in the 17th century), Aurangzeb, in Delhi. He knew that the emperor wasn't trust worthy & would play a foul in spite of the promise given to him by the Rajput king about the safety and security of his life, on behalf of the king. When Shivaji Maharaj walked-off from the meeting due to insult inflicted on him by the poor protocol, the emperor put him in jail in Agra. But Shivaji Maharaj couldn't be detained beyond a few days. He absconded with his son, Sambhaji, using an unimaginable trick which was carefully planned as a crisis plan. (Read more about it on the internet or in Indian history books).

Great leaders fight fears with careful planning and meticulous execution

A powerful warrior of the Mughal king from Bijapur (Karnataka), Afzal Khan ruined many Hindu temples and inflicted atrocities on the citizens of Maratha kingdom. He challenged Shivaji Maharaj. The fearless Maratha King agreed to meet him personally. Shivaji Maharaj knew Afzal Khan well. He wasn't surprised when Afzal Khan suddenly attacked him with a knife, during the meeting, in which nobody was expected to carry weapons. Shivaji Maharaj was ready for the incidence & counter attacked Afzal only to kill him in a few minutes. Shivaji Maharaj was great leader who always knew nuisance power of his enemies & never underestimated their lack of trustworthiness in spite of tall promises given to him.

Threats trigger excitement among leaders rather than the fear. They demonstrate mettle through their fearless actions.

Leaders are very excited about the opportunities in the environment. Such possibilities excite them so much that they don't feel threatened by the threats posed by the environment. 'Sense of security' is the second most important human need after the physiological needs. We want to secure everything we have. We fear losing them or somebody snatching it from us. The billions of dollars of insurance business thrives on our sense of insecurity.

'The fear of unknown' is our main enemy. It forces us to waste our resources on creating a 'false sense of security'

Leaders over come their fears They know their mission can't be realised unless they have the God's blessings. Once they get it they become fearless.

Shivaji Maharaj always said that the Hindu sovereign state was the wish of the God & his mission was to fulfil the wish of the God. He was never defeated in his life by any warrior in one to one encounter on the battle-field. Hindus believe that it was because of his bravery and also due to the sword given to him by the goddess Durga (Bhavani Mata). She wanted him to eliminate the enemies who troubled people & inflicted atrocities on them. Shivaji Maharaj's mission of Hindu empire was the blessings of the God. He fought fearlessly because he was fighting for the cause given to him by the God. He aligned his mission with the wish of the God and became fearless.

Commitment to conviction. Great leaders have great conviction. They commit themselves to their conviction. They tune themselves with the ultimate truth & chase it fearlessly.

Leaders value what is right for their people rather than what is liked by them. It requires following the conviction fearlessly.

Visionary corporate leaders like Henry Ford, Steve Jobs & Jack Ma believed in delivering what is good for their customers rather than what is demanded by them. They said customers know their problems better but are not aware of the perfect solution. The companies have to provide the right solution. But this conviction required fearless self-belief. They dared to swim up-stream, against the current, fearlessly to become the legends who went into the history books. Chinese believed 'online' will not work in China until Jack Ma made Alibaba one of the largest online players in the world. Apple's choice of a different operating system could be proved suicidal until Steve Jobs made it a grand success.

Leaders are comfortable with uncertainties They know theory of relativity well & how things work. They believe security is relative, uncertainty is constant. Leaders develop power to progress under uncertainty. They enjoy the challenge posed by uncertainty. They look at the changing market situations as opportunities.

They are at peace with themselves. Leaders know who they are, what can they do, what they can't do. They also have great patience to wait for their turn. They are never in a hurry though hate procrastination. Leaders believe in the organic growth. Sometimes they don't hesitate to opt for the inorganic growth, whenever it is a must.

They empower people, develop & trust the team

Great leaders create great teams. Both leaders & their teams install a sense of security in each other. Leaders create other leaders who have competencies to take the mission further. Such leaders provide the required contribution & sacrifice. The great leaders have no fear of failure because of such leaders. Shivaji Maharaj created leaders like Baji Prabhu Deshpande, Tanaji Malusare, Yesaji Kank & many more. Sam Walton created a strong team & many leaders. When he passed away Walmart's turnover was $50 Billion in the early 1990s, today it has grown more than 10 times in less than 20 years. Sam's team & leaders created by him contributed to this growth. The leader also provides a strong policy which helps his team to make day to day decisions and the leader delegates many functions and powers to the members of his team. The leader establishes proper systems and processes which respond to the dynamic changes. Great leaders are great planners. They factor-in all eventualities and become fearless.

About the Author: Prof Dr Ajit Patil is awarded 'Top Voice on LinkedIn - 2017'. He is a Management Writer; Marketing, Business Development & Retailing Consultant. He conducts Management Development Programmes; trains & coaches Sales & Marketing teams. He has been teaching MBA students in India & overseas for over 18 years. He can be reached at [email protected]

Prof Dr Ajit Patil with his wife, Arti, at their residence in Thane, India, Jan 2019.