Leaders, Do You Possess Healthy Or Unhealthy Fears?

Four common fears that make leaders self-protective

Over the last 10 years of engaging in leadership development research and consulting, I have observed a fascinating juxtaposition:
●    First, all leaders are trying their best to be a positive influence on those they lead and move the organization forward in a productive way
●    Yet, despite these good intentions and desires, consider the following statistics:

Why is it so incredibly common for leaders to possess good intentions but operate at subpar levels?

The answer is that leaders commonly possess fears that make them prone to self-protect in times of stress, pressure, and change. And, when leaders operate from this fear-induced place of self-protection, their focus goes inward, and they have a hard time considering the impact of their decisions and behaviors on those around them.

Let me try to bring this dynamic to life using one of my past coaching clients, a CFO of a mid-sized organization.

Example #1: CFO

In my first coaching call with the CFO, I asked him, “What are you doing that is preventing you from being a more effective leader?”

He answered by saying, “I am shutting down the ideas of my subordinates.” I gave him kudos for at least recognizing this because there are a lot of leaders who do this and do not recognize that they do it.

My next question for him was, “Why do you shut down the ideas of your subordinates?”

His initial response was, “I don’t know. It is just my natural reaction.” This told me that this wasn’t a knowledge and skills issue. It was something deeper than that.

As we dug deeper, what we discovered was that he tends to shut down the ideas of others because he carries a fear that if a good idea comes from his subordinates, others in the organization will see his subordinate as being smart and him as being dumb. It is a self-protection mechanism that helps him feel better about himself, and he is unable to fully value the impact of his behaviors on those he leads.

Four Common Fears that Make Leaders Self-Protective

Across my 10 years of leadership development efforts, I have observed that there are four primary fears that executives commonly have that make them self-protective and hold them back from being a more effective leader.

They are as follows.

1.    A Fear of Failure

Of the four fears, this is the one that is most common amongst executives. When leaders possess a fear of failure, they are prone to hold onto what has worked in the past, and they are reluctant to embrace new and novel approaches because they are more likely to fail. The consequence of this is that leaders who fear failure are not very agile, and out of self-protection they ride yesterday’s successes into the ground and fail to adapt.

2.    A Fear of Being Wrong

This is at the root of most “command-and-control” leadership. Leaders who possess this fear believe that what they know is best. This causes them to want to be seen as right. They want to be the one providing the answers. Because they don’t ask questions, they avoid feedback and new perspectives. This is a killer for continued personal growth and for a team’s psychological safety. This was the CFO in the above example.

3.    A Fear of Having Problems

I do not know many people who like problems, so this is a very justifiable fear. But, when leaders fear having problems, they are prone to be both a micromanager and a “doer,” as opposed to a “leader.” They can’t stomach being out of control, and often get really anxious if they have to fully delegate something. Their self-protection causes them to avoid stepping into and wading through difficulties. While this may keep them problem-free, they are unable to get closer to their goals because going from their current location to a location they have never been (usually their goals) necessitates encountering problems and difficulties.

4.    A Fear of Falling Behind

Leaders with a fear of falling behind generally come from a place of personal insecurity. To them, their self-worth is connected to their “success,” however they define it. This makes them rather driven leaders focused primarily on their success. As a consequence, they tend to see those around them as objects, either as instruments to help them get where they want to do or as obstacles standing in their way. It is not uncommon to see star performers operate with this fear of falling behind.

Example #2: CEO

Let me share another example, a CEO and founder of another mid-sized organization.

During my first coaching call with her, I asked her: “Why did you start your business?”

She answered, “To prove others wrong!”

Do you get the sense that there may be fear under the surface?

Later in the call, in a place of vulnerability, she said something I have now heard multiple executives state: “I try not to let anyone know this, but deep down, I am a very insecure person.”

Because of her insecurity about her self-worth, she possessed a fear of falling behind and a fear of failure. While this drove her to build her organization from only a few employees to over 1,000, she generally operated more like a tyrant than as a leader.

Example #3: CTO

In my coaching calls with executives, I have a process that leads to me asking my clients, “What fear is going on here for you?”

I recently had a call with a CTO of a large organization, and he responded to this question in a manner that I observe in about 15% of executives. He said, “I don’t have any fears. I am not driven by fear.”

These comments always leave me scratching my head, thinking, “Do you not have any fears, or are you unable to get in touch with your fears?”

What I have learned is that all leaders have fears, but very few leaders are in touch with their fears and the role they play in their leadership. But, if we can awaken to our fears, I believe we can dramatically elevate our leadership.

Overcoming Fears – The Need for Vertical Development

If leaders want to overcome their fears, it requires a relatively new form of leadership development called vertical development.

Most leadership development efforts are a form of horizontal development, which focuses on helping leaders gain new knowledge and skills. It is a lot like adding an app onto an iPad, it broadens the iPad’s functionality, but it doesn’t help the iPad operate any more effectively or efficiently.

But, when you look at the CFO, CEO, and CTO featured in this article, do you think gaining new knowledge and skills will help them awaken to and rise above their fears? No!

This is where vertical development comes in. Vertical development involves helping leaders awaken to and rise above their fears. To use the iPad analogy, it is not about adding new apps, it is focused on upgrading the iPad’s operating system.

Stated differently, vertical development focuses on helping leaders upgrade their internal operating systems.

To Overcome Fears, Change Your Mindsets

The best way for leaders to vertically develop is to awaken and improve their mindsets. What I have found is that those with a:
●    Fixed mindsets are afraid of failure
●    Closed mindsets are afraid of being wrong
●    Prevention mindset are afraid of having problems
●    Inward mindsets are afraid of getting passed up

If leaders have any of these mindsets and associated fears, it is essential that they work toward developing the following mindsets:
●    Growth mindset – They are ok failing, as that helps them learn and grow
●    Open mindset – They are ok being wrong, as that helps them find truth and think optimally
●    Promotion mindset – They are ok having problems, as that is an indication that they are getting closer to their goals
●    Outward mindset – They are ok putting themselves on the back burner, as that can help them lift and add value to others

If you would like to awaken to the mindsets and fears that you have, let me invite you to take this 20-question Personal Mindset Assessment.

Once we get clear on our mindsets and fears, we can then work toward developing healthier mindsets and letting go of our self-protective fears.

Author Bio

Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership. And, he is the author of the upcoming book, The Elevated Leader: Leveling Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development. He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton. Visit https://ryangottfredson.com Connect Ryan Gottfredson