Article by James Mapes

Quantum Leap Thinking

Article Three - Fearless Leadership

Fear is the great "trickster". Fear colors the quality of our beliefs, actions, and communication. Fear manipulates our perceptions and halts creativity. Fear emotionally separates people from each other and dooms partnerships of all kinds. Without recognizing, accepting, and experiencing fear, the chances of you, your co-workers, or your company changing to meet the challenges of the coming millenium are less than your chances of winning the "Powerball" lottery - next to none.

As a corporate speaker for many years, I can almost predict the themes that are used for most sales meetings, conventions, or retreats. Regardless of the audience, these themes fall into several categories: creating partnership, innovation, creativity, challenge, mentoring excellence, breaking the barriers, etc. Somewhere on the organizational food chain, a leader has decided that hiring a speaker, like myself, having a few breakout sessions and peppering the meeting with the latest "flavor of the day" phrases by the CEO will accomplish the daunting task of getting people, in some way, to change their behavior. The bottom-line purpose of the meeting is to propel people to work together to make a change, persuade people to accept change, inspire people to adapt to change, or motivate people to use change as a positive challenge.

Let me tell you a truth I’ve learned: it’s terrifying to work in the organizational environment these days. Why? Because the majority of "leaders," the very people who demand such meetings, remain blind to the reason why their people resist change. It’s FEAR. Everyone is frightened of making a mistake, particularly those who are charged with arranging the meeting. Their fear makes them tense, worried about upsetting the status quo, incurring the wrath of senior management, and pressured into playing it safe, which is the very antitheses of the purpose of the meeting. There are exceptions, of course. Organizations who "walk their talk" provide a very exciting platform for me to speak. It energizes me as it energizes them. Their people can learn, grow, and exercise their creative muscles because they are not blinded by fear.

But what about the rest? Who can grow in a fear-based environment? I certainly couldn’t – nor can you, I’ll bet. Granted, every once in a while, I do well under such conditions, but that’s an exception to the rule. For the most part, fear shuts me down. I may smile, be friendly, and appear to do a good job, but I am not happy. I am not creative. I am not growing. The quality of the finite moments of my life – stinks. And, it is their negative quality of life that I often see in the day-to-day existence of most organizational employees as they attempt to do their best in a heavy-handed, top-heavy, bureaucratic structure.

Before leaders can tackle the textbook elements of leadership, they must learn to break through fear-based thinking and recognize that the role of leadership is about continuous learning, relationships and constant self-renewal.

In my longer programs, I ask people to take part in a written exercise. Although requiring a bit of introspection on the part of the participants, it is very simple, straightforward and non-threatening. A piece of paper contains twenty-five squares. In one of five categories, people are asked to write specific personal choices, one choice in each square. For example, I ask the audience members to choose five aspects of their lifestyle that they consider being most important. A participant may write, "healthy", "family", "creative", "adventuresome", "spiritual". The other four categories have to do with future plans, material possessions, personal characteristics and relationships. When the twenty-five choices have been completed, I instruct them step by step to "let go" or "throw away" all but four of their choices. The catch is they only have five seconds to cross out three, then five seconds to cross out another three, etc., until only four choices remain. It moves so fast, they don’t have time to introspect about their choices. They have to trust their subconscious to guide them. Needless to say, the experience creates a lot of tension.

I have done the exercise with audiences as large as three thousand and as small as ten. On several occasions, I’ve even guided the process through a translator. It didn’t matter if it took place in Ecuador or Illinois, Saudi Arabia or New York City. The outcome is always the same. Approximately 80% of the audience chooses "people" as most important, 15% choose lifestyles such as "healthy", "spiritual", "loving", "creative" or characteristics like, "honesty", "integrity", "loyalty". Less than 5% choose "success", "power", "money" or "sex". "People" are always the first choice, throughout the world! If that’s so, and the evidence is pretty strong, then why don’t leaders support everyone, at all times, to have the best quality of life possible? Why do the majority of people feel helpless, threatened, controlled, dominated, unsupported or manipulated? FEAR!

Change, for better or worse is difficult. Despite what most people think, we’re not wired to accept change easily. Add to that, fear, and all those conventions, conferences and meetings become a tremendous waste of time and resources amounting to little more than a game of golf and a session around the bar. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, IF that is the desired purpose of the meeting.

Why not attack the problem at its root? With the exception of certain types of reward or incentive programs, these large, time-consuming meetings are temporary bandages, at best. It’s no wonder that people have become more resistant and cynical. What does work is whatever eliminates fear and supports people to be creative, productive, and vision-driven.

This brings us to the most important element of success in the 21^st century: leadership. The leaders of tomorrow will not only have to worry about the bottom line, they will also interact with people who are technologically connected and demand a higher quality of life. It is a given that leaders will be coaches and lead by example. But, perhaps, most importantly, leaders of the future will, first, have to have the insight in how to deal with fear.

There was a time when the "command and control" mentality worked. It was a time of industrialization when the round peg had to be put in a round hole and the majority of workers were not required to have a creative thought. The worker was expendable because the worker could be replaced, easily. This is not so, anymore. It’s not easy to bully someone into being creative. To survive in the world today, organizations must have workers who are not creative, but dedicated, passionate and challenged. With the explosion of communication technology, a mind-set based in fear doesn’t work, EVER, except for short-term and, usually, shortsighted results. Even though times have changed radically, and the needs of workers shifted, leadership often follows the old, outdated, militaristic model. As a new model of leadership emerges, pressure will be put on leaders to reinvent themselves. They will be stepping into uncharted territory with no manual to guide their way. Therefore, fear must become their partner, not their enemy.

Leaders will not only have to understand the mechanism of fear, they must be able to both deal with their own fear and help others deal with theirs. I call this leader of the future, the "Fearless Leader". Ironically, a fearless leader is not without fear. A fearless leader knows how to embrace fear and then let it go. A fearless leader can do what needs to be done, in spite of feeling fear, as well as provide a role model to others. Most importantly, a fearless leader knows how to deal with other people’s fear because a fearless leader knows how to deal with his own.

I’ve distilled down what I feel ARE the traits of the "Fearless Leader" into six areas.

A Fearless Leader will:

# 1 …UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF FEAR:

Fear is a bit of a mystery, because fear is hard to describe. You can’t "see" a fear, you can only see the results of fear. Any attempt to describe fear results in frustration because the feeling is uniquely individual. The confusion is compounded because fear means different things to different people. There is what I call, "delicious fear". Delicious fear often comes when we peak outside our comfort zone. It’s not so dangerous that it is threatening. Quite the opposite is true. It is often stimulating, energizing and exciting. Delicious fear is a close cousin to "excitement". I feel it when I scuba dive or ski. To me, there is a little danger but not enough to threaten my survival or my perception of my survival. Delicious fear can drive risk taking and stimulate creativity, which, in turn, drives personal and professional growth. Nothing bad or destructive there.

Then, there is "Manipulative Fear". Manipulative fear threatens our basic survival, real or imagined. It comes from the primitive part of our brain, which still carries the shadow of being eaten by an animal nosing around our cave. That part of the brain gets kicked into action when we perceive something, or someone, as a threat, or when we envision a fear-based future. If you’re worried about getting fired because you might make a mistake, because you are bullied by your boss or because of an inevitable merger or acquisition, you have experienced manipulative fear in the workplace. If you wonder why the majority of your employees don’t seem committed, aren’t creative, don’t contribute or don’t want to partner, then perhaps you should explore the possibility that you are part of the problem. If your actions and communication are manipulated by your fear, then you best wake up and pay attention.

A fearless leader will know the difference between delicious fear and destructive, manipulative fear and will know how to deal with it, or use it, accordingly.

#2 …WILL HAVE THE COURAGE TO RECOGNIZE FEAR IN HIMSELF OR HERSELF AND, ACT APPROPRIATELY:

I don’t know why most people resist looking at and recognizing their fear. Maybe there is shame involved, that somehow they will feel cowardly, weak or wimpy. As a man, perhaps, it doesn’t seem "macho" to admit fear.

To some degree, everyone experiences fear. It’s normal. The challenge is, not to act on or out of fear. When I am aware I’m experiencing fear, the question I ask myself is: "Is the fear somehow coloring my decisions?" By asking the question, I give perspective to my choices. Sometimes, I put off my decision until my fear dissipates. Sometimes, I take a big breath. And, sometimes the "Trickster" wins. I may have to apologize for my actions or my communication but I always learn a lesson.

#3 …WILL KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THEIR OWN FEAR AS WELL AS THE FEAR OF OTHERS:

After recognizing fear, the most important role of the fearless leader will be to handle his or her own fear, before he or she can handle the fear of others. The choice to dominate, control and manipulate stems from the fear of not getting what is wanted by any other method. Trust is not something which can be accomplished by a memo or meeting. Instead, it is an on-going process of eliminating fear from the workplace. A fearless leader will work diligently at creating an environment where the seeds of fear cannot survive. A fearless leader will know never to punish someone for speaking the truth, that workers MUST feel safe if they are to be creative and committed. Fearless leaders will know that fear manifests itself in many forms. Anger is fear. If it rears its ugly head, the fearless leader will know how to handle it and not fall into the trap of blaming others. Communication based in anger will never achieve long-term, positive results. When leaders understand the dynamics of fear, they will never fall prey to reacting defensively to others fear-based communication.

#4…KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE

Leaders of the 21^st century will know how to communicate in a way that does not make their employees feel threatened. Therefore, they will make it a priority to learn superior communication skills, specifically in criticism. Thoughtless criticism enhances fear and is always the result of poor communication skills. Above all, they will be aware when their communication stems from their own fear.

Leaders will know that to create a dedicated and committed work force they must never, ever, make a person wrong for speaking his or her mind. Leaders will encourage people to communicate openly. They will be aware that, when people feel safe enough to express their fear, the fear will almost always dissipate and eventually disappear. The leader of the future will know that "listening without judgement" is one of the marks of superior leadership.

A strategy to develop an atmosphere of trust, communicate clear goals and eliminate internal competition will result in Quantum Leaps. Teamwork, creativity and productivity will be the natural result.

#5… WILL LEARN WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS; THEIR VALUES:

Motivation is a misunderstood concept. You can’t motivate anyone; you can only provide the tools to let people motivate themselves. True motivation takes place when an individual WANTS it to happen. You can’t create it by unfulfilled promises, bullying or bribing.

Long-term motivation happens when a person’s values are met. Values are what people believe to be true. What people believe to be true determines their commitment and therefore their actions.

If my number one value is "family", I’m going to feel angry, threatened or resentful, if that value is threatened. On the other hand, if my value were "integrity", I would have a different set of rules as to my motivation. If a leader asks me to do anything that goes against my foremost value, I won’t be committed. I may do the task but my heart won’t be in the process.Leaders of the future won’t PROJECT their own set of values on their people and then expect them to feel dedicated and fulfilled. They will have the necessary insight to know how to discover other people’s values. And, they will know how to create the environment, job or task to support those values, thereby allowing others to support the values of the organization.

#6…WILL MAKE PEOPLE FIRST:

I function best when left alone. I come up with my best ideas, alone. I am most productive if I’m left alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love people. I love to party. I love having people over to dinner, being a guest and sharing ideas. People inspire me. But, if I worked in a business organization, I would like to be autonomous. Many people operate on a different set of rules for creativity and productivity. Some people work better in a group, while others work best in a single partnership. Each of us marches to the tune of a different drummer. We may often appear to be same, but we are unique with unique needs.

The leaders of the future will have both the awareness to recognize people’s individual needs and the courage to do everything possible to have those needs be fulfilled within reason. But far more than that is happening now. Take it from one who knows.

A fearless leader won’t need to control, manipulate and dominate because that will inevitably generate fear-based behavior. Instead, they will be concerned about supporting others to feel safe and fulfilled. I’m not talking about slobbering, soft, feel-good behavior. I’m speaking of the behavior that comes with the courage to put people first and recognize that leadership is about caring, tenacity, awareness and renewal. The fearless leader will know that one of the prime elements to engender commitment is for people to feel supported to live the highest quality of life possible within the organization.