How fear makes you a better leader

List the qualities of a great leader in your head. Do you have a list yet? It probably includes qualities such as:

• Courageous
• Intelligent
• Strategic
• Caring
• Empathetic
• Decisive

When we picture great leaders, we don’t picture fear because fear is seen as weak and our ideal leader is strong. However there is something admirable about fear. In fact, all great qualities of a leader can arise from fear. Fear can make us intelligent, strategic, caring, empathetic, decisive, and courageous.

The Strength in Fear

Let’s consider two teachers; one has never been afraid and the other finds something to be afraid of most days. The teacher who has never been afraid doesn’t understand why his kids are scared of swimming or scared of the confidence course. He gets impatient with his kids because he simply can’t imagine being afraid.

The teacher who is often afraid understands why his kids don’t want to swim – he was once afraid of swimming and so he understands completely. He is able to decide which of his kids go swimming and which should sit on the sideline because he knows when to challenge a fear and when a kid isn’t ready.

Conquering Fear Requires More Courage than Being Fearless

“We grow fearless when we do things we fear”

Having fears means you have more chances to grow, more opportunities to exert your courage. Fears can make you feel unconfident but conquering fears makes you feel more confident than ever.