I’d known Jeff (not his real name) for many years, as a client and as a friend, but I’d never seen him so thrown. I could feel his fear, his sense of uncertainty.
How to Lead When You’re Feeling Afraid
How can you inspire your team to achieve the impossible when you yourself are feeling afraid and uncertain about how — and whether — you can achieve it? Your first step is to build your emotional courage — your ability to act thoughtfully, strategically, and powerfully while feeling afraid. Focus on the process instead of the outcome. A good process will guide you along the path to get you where you want to go, and you can follow a good process no matter what you’re feeling. Once you bolster your emotional courage and target your focus, you need to direct the attention of your team. Your communication should include four parts: vision, empathy, direction, and proof. Once you’ve got this four-part outline down, your job is to repeat it. Shifting behaviors in others requires repetition.