This is the season when haunted houses pop up in most populated areas of the country. Many folks are happy to spend a few dollars for a good scare. But how do we deal with fear the rest of the year?

Someone interviewed the late race car driver Ken Block. They asked him, “Do you ever get scared?” His reply was a sheepish, “If you’re not scared, you’re not going fast enough.” I’m not sure that fear, speed, and a car are combinations I would want to experience! 

Sometime, somewhere, in some circumstance, every leader will experience, and will have to deal with, their own fear.

Fear can mobilize. Fear can paralyze.

Response to fear can be situational. Fear can motivate a person to run toward a situation, or away from a situation, or to hide from the situation. 

The same circumstances can impact different people in different ways. Sometimes the same person in different ways.

FOMO (fear of missing out) can motivate one person to action, or another to just not bother. Fear can come from imposter syndrome or not knowing what to do next. It’s also a little bit scary, at least the first few times, to put your ideas out for people to analyze, characterize or criticize. A leader can fear being enough, knowing enough, seeing and hearing enough, giving enough effort, or getting buy-in enough. Just thinking about all there is to think about can bring on a tinge of fear sometimes.

What do we do with fear? It depends. 

Sometimes it’s right to swallow hard, take a big breath, and step out there. Or, as Pat Summit said, “left foot, right foot, breathe, repeat.” 

Other times merit a pause, gathering more facts, consulting a friend or colleague, making a list of pros and cons, or bringing in more help.

It helps to remember the words of Marianne Williamson. You might have seen/heard an adaptation of them in the movie Coach Carter (2005, Paramount Pictures.). 

She wrote: 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

What helps you deal with fear as you L. E. A. D. ! ?

Herb