I’ve become convinced that fear is the single factor most capable of derailing a leader’s effectiveness. Responsibilities, pressure, visibility – all of these factors tend of “pile on” over time. Sooner or later we all need to come to grips with the fears inherent with the position.

Fear is a given. Our response to fear determines the outcome. It takes courage to lead.

Below are a sample of common fears leaders face – along with some common reactions and opportunities for response.

Uncertainty

Reaction: Refusing to acknowledge reality

The unknown can be a crippling fear for many leaders. Think about how much we’re unsure of. We only experience life moment by moment, therefore the future is ultimately unknown – no matter how we plan for it. We’ve never had more information (or more access to information), yet it’s almost impossible to be sure we have all of the right information to guarantee an outcome. Change is a part of life and the speed of change has never been faster.

Instead of avoiding change or stalling important decisions, accept it. We don’t have to embrace change – but unless we embrace the reality of change, we’ll stunt our personal and organizational growth.

Responses: Accept the reality that change and uncertainty are part of life; make decisions

Appearing Naive (or Incompetent)

Reaction: Lack of candor; working in silos

No one wants to look dumb. (I know I don’t!) This puts me at odds in the instances I feel dumb – when encountering a new project or comparing myself to other people in a given situation. It’s often the feeling (rather than the fact) that is the real barrier.

No one has all the answers. Each of us have a different level of experience and development. It’s the candid sharing of our opinions and feedback (in appropriate ways) that provide enough input for the team to make informed decisions. Group think is dangerous, but it’s the status quo when team members are afraid to appear naive. Not only that, it’s a massive impediment to the creative process.

Responses: Demonstrate vulnerability; go first; ask for help; acknowledge weaknesses

Criticism

Reaction: Playing it safe, abdicating responsibility

I’ve noticed that the fear of criticism often exceeds the fear of failure. Whether it’s a critical moment in a sports game, boardroom or political office, leaders opt to play it safe instead of doing what creates the greatest chance to be successful. When the plan fails, the blame is easier to handle (or at least deflect).

This simply isn’t leadership.

Response: Take counsel from trusted sources; refuse to entertain the naysayers

Being Wrong

Reaction: Refusing to make decisions

Our reaction to decisions is an interesting phenomenon. We’re often tempted to determine their correctness immediately the fact. The outcome determines whether the decision was “correct” or not. But the result of a decision usually isn’t binary (e.g. simply “right” or “wrong”) – and there are so often additional factors at play, including random chance. That being said, so many times the consequences of our decisions are short-term in nature. It takes courage to make a decision that could result in a bad outcome. But refusing to make decisions (and therefore pushing them up to the next level) creates a bottleneck at the top of the chain of command and limits the effectiveness of the individual leader.

Responses: Have a decision-making process; have the courage to make the decisions that are appropriate at your leadership level

Limited Opportunities

Reaction: Excuses; comparing with others; victim mentality

Each person has a unique background. We have differing levels of intellect, strengths and skills. Some have had every resource at their disposal. Others had to learn the hard way. We all have different ceilings as well.

The problem with focusing on our limitations is that it’s counterproductive. It takes the focus off what we can do and puts it on factors outside our control. Get more information, create an Individual Development Plan and keep working hard.

Responses: Create goals; focus on continuous growth

Failure

Reaction: Refusing to try; excuses; self-sabotage

Ultimately, the fear of failure prevents far too leaders from even leaving the starting gate. Unfortunately, failure is pervasive. Playing it safe won’t inoculate us from the reality of potential failure. As Jim Carrey famously said, “You can fail at something you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing something you love.” Leadership may not be “what you love” when the going gets tough, but your love of the people you lead – and responsibility to see the job to its conclusion – should be enough to move you to act.

Responses: Act

Colin Powell famously advised, “Never take counsel from your fears.” He knew firsthand the difficulties of leading when the stakes were high – in a high pressure and visible role. If you are a leader, you will experience fear. How you respond will determine your effectiveness.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

In other words, there is a great reluctance to take a stand in ambiguous or unpopular situations and declare, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll be the one who goes down with the ship.”

The great tragedy is that the opportunity for true leadership, the kind that welcomes responsibility and takes courageous and necessary risks in spite of the unknown – that kind of leadership, has never been in higher demand. Worse still, the kind of leadership that takes a stand is exactly the prerequisite to rallying others to unite and follow.

Is it so bad to be wrong, after all? The lengths “leaders” go to avoid blame many times far exceeds the amount of damage actually caused by a mistake. A business executive continues with a risky plan in spite of damning information in hopes it will work out because to turn back would be to appear to admit defeat. An education official gives in to a new testing standard, confident that it will fail but unwilling to propose an alternative. A politician refuses to support a bill drafted by an opponent because to do so would be to appear weak.

In the meantime, there is a long wake of losers. Shareholders lose. Customers lose. Employees lose. Students lose. Constituents all lose. And leaders lose their credibility in the process. The only people who win are the critics who say, “I told you so.” But is it really a win?

Additionally, many times the “fault” is actually no fault at all except a change in the external environment. Sometimes it can be anticipated, but many times not. The market changes, a new technology comes along, the weather fails to cooperate. (What do you think happens to the construction industry when winters run long?)

No matter how sure you are of success, something could come along and derail it. But that shouldn’t stop us from making the decisions that need to be made today. That’s what sets those of us who would be leaders apart. After all, it takes an exceeding amount of courage to lead.

So what can we do about it? Here are some thoughts:

• Do a risk assessment.
• Have a plan and a contingency plan.
• In Colin Powell’s words, “Don’t take counsel of your fears.”
• Set a good leadership example; when you make a mistake, admit it publicly.
• Create environments where others feel secure in admitting their own mistakes. In Dale Carnegie’s words, “Make the fault seem easy to correct.”
• Focus on lessons learned from both successes and failures. Then share them so they aren’t repeated.
• Win and lose as teams, not as individuals. (The problem with “pin the tail on the donkey” is that no one wants to be the target).
• Applaud people for adjusting course when they recognize that a situation has changed. Go a step further by lending your support when it’s needed.
• Practice answering difficult questions with conviction and transparency. (You can’t appeal to noble motives unless you have them to begin with).
• Explain what happened, but don’t make excuses. Take responsibility instead.
• Offer hope.

If you’ve never had the finger pointed at you before, you’re a risky person for others to follow. Don’t be afraid. You will fall down and you will collect scars along the way. Will always be worth it? Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. But there’s no other way to lead than by example.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

You’ve undoubtedly been asked this rhetorical question before. Apparently how you answer is supposed to quickly reveal whether you are an optimist or a pessimist – and perhaps a lot more about your inner worldview.

I’m not sure what the “right” answer to the the glass question is – although I always think it should somehow depend on what’s in the glass to begin with. But when it comes to being an optimist, I’m am sure of this: optimists are in high demand.

Here’s why.

Your Vision Won’t Last Without It

A vision is normally the first step for any change initiative. You’ve got to develop a clear picture of what the future could and should look like. But if you don’t believe you can bring the vision to life, why even bother to get started? That’s why leaders must be optimists. It’s not that they can’t see problems for what they are, but they use problems to fuel their vision of a better future.

You’ll Never Be Completely Sure

Can’t we just settle for being realists? After all, some of the criticisms of overly positive people is that they are naive, have their head in the clouds and are unrealistic. Author Mark Miller addresses this in The Heart of Leadership. He says expecting the best doesn’t mean ignoring the facts. We need to have as clear a grasp of reality as possible. The problem is that we’ll never be 100% sure of anything. There will always be uncertainty. That’s where optimism comes in. At the end of the day, each decision should be a calculated guess. But if you believe it will fail, you’ll never be able to enlist the support you need to pull it off.

Leaders must be optimists because of uncertainty, not despite it.

People Need It

In his book Winning, Jack Welch observes that upbeat managers with a positive outlook naturally tend to have teams made up of… upbeat employees with a positive outlook. It’s a fact that people respond positively to positive expectations.

But to take this a step further, probably the best tactic in human relations is to believe the best about people. Napoleon said that people are dealers in hope. A little hope doesn’t just go a long way. It could make all the difference in the world. Think about the teachers, coaches or bosses you’ve worked the hardest for. Chances are they saw what you could become and challenged you along the way.

Will you ever be wrong? Will people ever let you down? Of course they will. But that won’t stop you if you genuinely believe the best about them – for their sake, not yours.

No One Wants to Follow a Pessimist!

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shared in an interview at the Leadercast seminar in 2013 that leaders must be optimists simply because no one wants to follow a pessimist! This is really the bottom line. If you want to be a pessimist, that’s fine, but don’t expect people to line up behind you.

So where does that leave us: glass half empty or half full? I understand we all approach the question from a different stand point. Being positive can be a challenge sometimes, but when it comes down to it, optimism is a choice.

Will you make the choice to be an optimist today?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.