Each Sunday our goal is to share a piece of gold with you. Some small piece of information that helps you create a better week and achieve a better outcome.  

As we approach Halloween, it seemed appropriate to talk about Fear.  

There are several ways that fear shows up in business that we must learn to face and conquer. The fear of failure, the fear of your business going under, the fear of letting people down, the fear of having the courageous conversations, the fear of not getting the sale… the list goes on and on.  

Here are 3 things we can learn from fear:  

  1. We have to acknowledge it and pay attention. Too often I see leaders behave as though it is shameful to be afraid… whether it is pride or ego, or trying to be tough, we often tell ourselves we should not be scared or, if we are afraid, we do our best to ignore it. However, the opposite is true. It is there for a reason. Maybe it is intuition, maybe it is inexperience, maybe it is pride pushing ourselves towards success to avoid failure… Whatever the driver of fear, by acknowledging it, we can take action. That may be double-checking our work, putting in extra effort, asking for help, or simply talking about it to gain additional perspective.  
  2. Pushing through fear is a big part of leadership. Having the courage to face the things we fear is a requirement for leading well. Exercising your courage muscle in business is like building any other muscle. The more you do it, the better you will become. Here is a fantastic 3-minute clip of Simon Sinek talking about leadership, learning, and courage.
    Simon on Courage
  4. Fear is healthy. If you operate without fear, chances are you are not pushing and challenging yourself. As leaders that are always learning, we have to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Trying new things, broadening our influence, speaking in front of a large group, taking healthy risks… all these things create growth and expansion. If we can’t demonstrate it, we can’t expect it from our Team.   

Have a fantastic Halloween with your family and/or friends. Embrace your fears, recognize why they exist, then take the steps to push through.