What are you afraid of?

No, really. Take just a moment to take inventory of the things that cause you to tremble. You don’t have to say them out loud, but do keep them in mind—because in this post, I want to talk candidly about fear.

A little bit of fear can be healthy, it’s what keeps us from doing things impulsively, or from marching into a dangerous situation. But fear can also hold us back. In many cases, it’s the thing that prevents us from truly embracing transformational leadership.

Let me show you what I mean—some examples of common fears that keep leaders from reaching their full potential.

4 Things Leaders Fear (But Shouldn’t)

Not Getting Enough Credit

I meet a lot of leaders who worry that they won’t get their due acknowledgement for the great ideas they come up with—but here’s the thing: If you’re worried about credit, that means you’re not really listening to the ideas of your team members, nor allowing them their moments to shine. Don’t be afraid of who does and doesn’t get credit, because great leaders only care about big ideas—not who comes up with what.

Not Being Liked

It’s important to have good relationships with your employees, and that starts when you take the initiative to communicate with them openly, honestly, and regularly. If you’re doing that, there’s no reason to sweat your popularity in the office.

Being Taken Advantage Of

I meet a surprising number of leaders who seem genuinely fearful that their employees are going to lie to them, cheat them, or otherwise take them for granted. Frankly, this strikes me as a recruiting issue: If you don’t trust your team members, why exactly did you hire them?

Failure

Ah, yes—the big one. Nobody likes to fall flat on their faces, but sometimes you have to risk it if you want to attempt anything big or audacious. The important thing is setting an example to your team of how to fail well—learning from it, then picking yourself up and moving on.

These are all fears you can probably relate to—but I hope you’re not letting them master you. Letting go of fear is an important step for any leader, and it’s something I’d love to talk with you more about. Reach out today and let’s chat about executive coaching.

Connect with Dr. Rick at www.rickgoodman.com or call 888-267-6098.

Dr. Rick Goodman’s Solutions-Oriented Leader book is now available to order online. In this first-of-a-kind, comprehensive guide, author Dr. Rick Goodman leads you through the everyday challenges of the modern workplace while providing you with easy-to-implement solutions to achieve world-class results!