Fear is real. It lurks within all of us and influences our behaviors. One fear that can take a toll on leader development is fear of failure. Many of us as rural healthcare leaders were chosen for initial supervisory roles because of demonstrating consistent achievement and potential. What secures the promotion then creates the bind by which our performance is constrained. We believe we must continue success and can’t risk failure. Fear blinds us from seeing that greater success comes with taking greater risk. Consider these reflections about fear and its impact on our leadership:
Fear of Others’ Perceptions
It is validating to be viewed as accomplished, as competent. We often wear our success rate like a badge of honor, protecting our image. That shield hides from others the fact we don’t have everything figured out, a disguise guarding our “weakness” from being discovered. But weakness is simply capability not yet developed or poorly complemented. The very best leaders I’ve known are both brilliant AND humble. They give all-out effort and demonstrate outstanding commitment to being great leaders, yet are vulnerable enough to admit they still are learning. It’s their willingness to try hard and admit where they need help from others or need to grow that makes them most endearing. Besides, why worry if others don’t see you as perfect? If even great leaders aren’t perfect…chances are no one is perfect. There’s no need for a façade.
Fear of Not Getting it Right, Right Away
Like the saying, “I’m not losing; I’m learning to win,” the idea there’s still opportunity to expand our skills gives us permission to not be flawless right out of the gate. We cannot grow within the confines of our comfort zone. Yes, stepping beyond it, we might fail. We might stumble. To increase our success rate, we must intensify our failure rate. (Recall that a child doesn’t go from crawling to walking without a few bruises.) Each blunder allows new learning of what doesn’t work, increasing our knowledge towards what does work. Excellence comes only through stretching our comfort zone. Let’s release our self-expectation of immediate competence.
Fear of the Fall
I once participated in a high ropes team-building activity. Here’s me and a colleague—each with a single cable stretched beneath our feet. The cables were 3 feet apart from one another, spanning a distance of 20 feet, 100 feet off the ground. We had to lean forward with outstretched hands onto each other’s shoulders and slide sideways from one platform to the other. Sweat was dripping from my brow and I was shaking in total fear. I was petrified of falling! And you know what? I did. Halfway across, I lost my footing. I fell. Thankfully the safety harness kept me from dropping more than a few feet. The most glorious thing happened next. I got back up and we went the rest of the way with complete ease. I was no longer afraid. I’d fallen and yet I WAS OKAY! I remember thinking in that moment, “What had I been so afraid of?!?”
Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to just walk right into the fear. Go ahead and fall. Because then fear no longer has its grasp on us. We faced it and yet it didn’t hold us.
Fear of the Unknown
I’m a planner. And I’m still afraid of the dark. It’s scary for me to not know what’s next, what’s “out there.” As leaders, we won’t always know what the next step is or what’s coming around the corner. We can’t plan or anticipate every move. Sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith, trusting we’ll figure it out along the way. Remember, so far, you’ve survived 100% of even your worst days. What’s there truly to fear?!?
Fear of Letting Go
So many of us struggle with overwhelming to do lists and yet resist asking for help. We don’t want to be seen as needy or unable. We fail to delegate and miss opportunity to grow those around us by not sharing responsibility for our tasks. We revel in being needed, depended upon. We micromanage the efforts of those on our teams when we fail to let go and trust them. This inability to release control is selfish in that we won’t allow others to shine, which only dims our leadership. Growing others is the best way to grow ourselves.
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FEAR is said to have two meanings: 1) Forget everything and run…or 2) Face everything and rise. With failure out of the way, you’re free to knock down the fences confining you and elevate your leadership! What is fear keeping you from learning today?
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“Everything becomes possible when there’s nothing you’re afraid to try.” – Tim Kight
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Explore these workshops and programs offered by our RWHC Education Team to improve Facing Fears:
- MindSET
- MindSET Reboot
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
To learn more, visit: https://www.rwhc.com/Services/Educational-Services/Leadership-Series or email me at csearles@rwhc.com.
Consider joining our Leadership Bites program: https://www.rwhc.com/Services/Educational-Services/Leadership-Bites
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Corrie Searles, MPT, Leadership Development Educator
In Corrie’s role as Leadership Development Educator at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC), her aim is to empower leaders—formal and informal—to create positive influence that enables others to serve well.
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