To lead is difficult when you’re a follower of fear. ~T.A. Sachs
Businesses are operating in uncertain times at the moment. That’s the problem. It’s not that we’re in an economic downturn. It’s not that 
we’re having to make more with less. The biggest problem is that we don’t know how deep or how long this situation will be.
If we knew that it was going to last a year, we could plan for that. If we knew it would be with us for 10 years, we could come up with ways of dealing with that and making things work. Being unable to plan creates enormous feelings of uncertainty and fear for most people. We’re just not very good at coping with the unknown.
The trouble is, that makes us worse at leading. If you’re fearful yourself, how can you lead with confidence? The emotional commodity we need most at the moment is confidence. Without it, the difficult times will be protracted because we will create our own monsters. With it, we’ll be able to inspire people to feel less uncertain, less fearful, and more comfortable with the change we’re dealing with now.
I know this has all been said before – but it bears repeating, I think.
We can’t stop change. It is inevitable. But we can work towards dealing with it without fear. And we can be thoughtful of the impact that fear has on our decisions and our way of leading.
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Photo Credit: kkimpel
Article by Vandy Massey
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