We business executives, we’re fearless. We’re dauntless. We’re the “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead” crowd.
Yet, when we’re honest. When we’re behind closed doors, when we go home at night…. we have our doubts. We dwell on those issues on the edges. The confrontation we’ve avoided. The shoddy behavior we’ve pretended not to see. The ugly truth we’re afraid to confront.
It is this fear that drives us to pretend we don’t see shoddy execution. It is this whistling past the graveyard that keeps us pretending the chronic underperformer will perform. It is why we rely on hope in place of accountability. It is this apprehension that keeps us from perfecting the corporate culture of high performance we desire.
The ability to manage fear, to execute that which is uncomfortable and yet required, is one of the 5 major talents that separates great leaders from ordinary managers.
Example A
Issue: The company is in a difficult place. Revenue is down. You’re burning cash. You pretend that all is well. You don’t want to speak about the issue. You don’t want to scare away your team. You don’t want their resumes on the street. So you pretend everything’s fine.
Question: Do you think your people don’t know? Do you think you’re inspiring trust? Is that how Winston Churchill would have played it? What would a real leader do?
Action: Gather the troops, and come clean. This isn’t just your problem, this is the entire teams failing. You have a team that has a vested interest in turning things around. Get the team working together. Show the team you trust them and treat them like the adults that you want to show up to work.
What’s the worst that could happen? Nothing. Can you fix this alone? So fix it with the team!
Example B
Issue: You have an employee. He’s nice. He’s social. He appears to be the center of everything. His work product sucks. He’s slow, imprecise, and error prone. He’s not cutting it. He’s trying. Yet no matter how much help and guidance you give, he’s not improving.
You like him. You’re sure everyone likes him. You don’t want to hurt his feelings, and you are afraid if you drop him, it will hurt morale. He will hate you, and your team will be disappointed.
Question: Do you think you’re the only one who knows he’s not cutting it? Do you think his shoddy execution isn’t affecting others? Don’t you think he’s making everyone else’s job harder? Do you think this isn’t a statement that crappy work is an acceptable standard?
Action: You know what you have to do. Do it!
Think about your job. Think about what you are avoiding. What are you pretending not to know? What keeps coming back to you, lingering on your mind when you’re driving, showering, brushing your teeth?
Growth and learning happen outside the comfort zone. When you’re uncomfortable, when you’re fearful, you know what you have to do. You must confront the fear. You must take it head-on. Act on it. Be brave.
Because bravery is not the absence of fear; bravery is doing the right thing in the presence of fear. It’s OK to be afraid. It’s not okay to be a wimp.
The key takeaway is that growth and learning occur outside the comfort zone, and leaders must act bravely in the face of fear. The blog encourages readers to confront their fears and make tough decisions for the betterment of their teams and organizations.
Call to Action: If you’re ready to confront your fears and lead with courage, click the green button to schedule a sample coaching call. Discover how to transform challenges into opportunities for growth and success.
- Intentional Leadership – a guide to developing a leadership canvas to build and motivate high-performance teams.
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