As business leaders, it is our responsibility to envision new opportunities, drive change, and take risks that push organizations forward. However, this can be difficult when our fears hijack our thinking and impede progress. Fear is a natural human emotion that often serves an evolutionary purpose, but in excess it becomes a liability rather than an asset. For organizations to thrive in today's rapid climate of disruption, leadership must cultivate courage over fear.
Today we will provide research-backed strategies for stopping our fears from running the show, so leaders can overcome anxiety and instead ignite powerful, fearless innovation.
Fear & Anxiety in the Modern Workplace
According to research by the American Psychological Association, nearly two-thirds of the American workforce report feeling anxious or fearful about some aspect of their jobs. While a moderate level of fear and worry can motivate us to problem solve and achieve, excess anxiety becomes counterproductive. Prolonged stress and apprehension have been linked to numerous negative health impacts like increased risk of heart disease, as well as reduced workplace performance and engagement (American Psychological Association, 2018). Leaders set the tone for their organizations, so their own level of anxiety will permeate the culture. As Harvard Business Review asserts: "When leaders operate out of fear, it spreads fear and anxiety throughout the entire organization" (Chambers et al., 2020, para. 1). Managing fear, then, becomes critical for effective leadership and organizational success.
Understanding the Roots of Fear
To overcome anxiety, it is helpful to understand its origins on both individual and collective levels. At a personal level, fear often arises from threats to our ego, self-worth, or sense of competence as leaders. Research by Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy suggests these "threats to the self" activate the brain's fight-or-flight response, flooding our bodies with stress hormones that cloud clear thinking (Cuddy, 2012). On an organizational level, common sources of collective anxiety include disruptive change, uncertainty about the future, and ambiguity (Harvard Business Review, 2020). Leaders tasked with driving innovation are invariably steering into uncharted waters. By acknowledging these natural sources of apprehension, leaders can gain perspective and inoculate against hyper-reactive fear responses.
Overcoming Fear Through Self-Awareness
The starting point for reducing workplace anxiety is developing self-awareness around our tendencies. Research suggests the threat of fear itself activates our amygdala to see risks more readily, so the more attuned we are to our inner reactions, the better equipped we will be to defuse overly reactive responses (Cuddy, 2012). Leaders can use journaling, meditation, or coaching to identify internal "fear triggers" and notice when their anxiety levels spike (Gartenberg, 2017). This heightened self-awareness allows us to stop and question fearful thoughts like "What if this fails?" rather than act on impulse. It also prevents covering up fear with overconfidence or aggression, which fosters distrust. Developing empathy for our inner experience of fear is key to managing it constructively.
Cultivating Courage Through Small Wins
Once attuned to our anxieties, the next step is building confidence through small successes. According to psychologist B.J. Fogg, small wins are highly effective for developing courage muscles because they satisfy our need for progress while mitigating risk of failure (Fogg, 2009). Leaders can identify bite-sized courage-building activities aligned with organizational goals, like facilitating one meeting, making one difficult phone call, or trying one new tool per week. Celebrating these baby steps fosters a growth mindset and resilience critical to facing bigger challenges with less apprehension. Research suggests small wins also increase our sense of self-efficacy and ability to cope with setbacks (Ainsworth & Hardy, 2004). For example, a banking CEO may start by opening one challenging conversation each week, then expand the effort, knowing small progress breeds bigger progress over time.
Fear Setting for Courageous Goals
While important to start small, leaders must also aim high with goals that require courageous leaps. Otherwise, progress remains incremental rather than transformative. To set ambitious targets without fear paralysis, leaders can use a process called "fear setting." Developed by leadership coach Adam Brown, fear setting involves brainstorming potential obstacles and writing them down, which research shows reduces their perceived threat value (Brown, 2017; Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001). For instance, the head of a technology startup may note fears like "failure," “negative feedback,” or "long development time" around the goal of launching a new product. Verbalizing anxieties dissipates their power over us (Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001). The leader can then craft supportive solutions to assuage each fear, such as building in testing and feedback loops. With mitigation strategies in place, the previously daunting goal becomes an exciting challenge, empowering bravery.
Courageous Culture Through Vulnerability
Leaders cultivate courage throughout the organization by modeling vulnerability. According to researcher Brené Brown, vulnerability is the birthplace of things like innovation, creativity, and meaningful change because it fosters collaboration, learning, and courage cultures where people are not afraid to take risks (Brown, 2018). Leaders can share vulnerable stories from their own experiences with failure, self-doubt, and learning from mistakes. When we show our humanity through vulnerability, it creates trust and permission for others to do the same. This could involve a CEO sharing a recent professional blunder to ease fears around failures. Openness also breeds openness - people feel safer bringing fears to the surface to find solutions together (Edmondson, 2018). A vulnerability-based culture reduces collective anxiety by replacing competition with compassion.
Braving Discomfort With Resilience Practices
While the above strategies help recognize and manage fear, confronting it still requires courage. Leaders must role model resilience by welcoming discomfort and adversity. Research shows we can strengthen our tolerance for difficult emotions through regular practice, whether journaling about fears, meditating on anxiety sensations, or discussing challenges with a supportive mentor (Brown et al., 2017).
Weekly check-ins can review progress against courage goals and evaluate how members supported each other through difficulties. Resilience is also strengthened through reframing challenges like optimistic self-talk. For instance, a director facing tough performance reviews could reframe it as an opportunity to improve, rather than a threat. Expressing gratitude for developmental feedback even in hard times cultivates an attitude of growth.
Finally, leaders can establish a "sparring partner" system where pairs challenge each other to step outside comfort zones (e.g. public speaking) or have courageous conversations, knowing they have support. Regular resilience habit building, both alone and together, will allow the entire organization to not just manage but lean into discomfort with confidence over time.
Conclusion
In today's climate of constant disruption and change, leadership that cultivates courage is indispensable for driving fearless innovation. By developing self-awareness around inner experiences of fear, starting small with wins, aiming big with goals, modeling vulnerability, and strengthening resilience skills, leaders can transform anxious cultures into courageous ones. While fear will always be a natural human response, great leaders learn to welcome it rather than run from challenges it presents. By overcoming our own fears, we empower entire organizations to overcome theirs as well. Leaders who foster the courage muscles of their people and culture will reap rewards of engagement, creativity and breakthrough progress, allowing transformation instead of being paralyzed by the status quo. Courage need not be a rare skill - with awareness and practice, it can become a daily leadership competency.
References
American Psychological Association. (2018, February 1). Stress in America: Generation Z. Stress in America Survey. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2018/stress-gen-z.pdf
Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. Random House.
Brown, K. W., Dutton, R. A., & Cook, K. E. (2001). From the Top Down: Experiential and Mindful Approaches to Leadership Development. Journal of Leadership Education, 1(1). 37-47. https://journalofleadershiped.org/ wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ Volume-1_Issue-1_Article-4.pdf
Chambers, L., Frazer, A., & Schoenberg, J. (2020, June 25). Fearless leadership in a crisis starts from within. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/06/fearless-leadership-in-a-crisis-starts-from-within
Cuddy, A. (2012). Your body language shapes who you are. [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en
Edmondson, A. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons.
Fogg, B. J. (2009, October). A behavior model for persuasive design. Persuasive ’09: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology. Article No. 40. https://doi.org/10.1145/1541948.1541999
Gartenberg, C. (2017, April 28). 5 techniques to conquer your fears as a leader. Inc. https://www.inc.com/christine-gartenberg/5-techniques-to-conquer-your-fears-as-a-leader.html
Pennebaker, J. W., & Graybeal, A. (2001). Patterns of natural language use: Disclosure, personality, and social integration. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(3), 90–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00123
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
