There’s been a meme doing the rounds, a little like this one. At the top it says: “I want to do this.” Then there’s a green block underneath that says: Do It.
In the second column, there’s a grey block that says: “But I’m scared,” and underneath that, there’s a green block (where my purple block is) that says: “Do it scared.”
I don’t get it. There may be some exhilaration in doing something scary and succeeding. But the fact is, fear will diminish performance. Doing things scared is no way to live. I don’t want to fly in an airplane piloted by somebody who faces an unknown situation and flies into it scared.
I’m going into hospital next week. I do not want the surgeon to look at my body on the table, be nervous about the procedure, and “do it scared.”
I do not want to terrorise my teams into “doing things scared.” My job as a leader is to remove the fear, not to ignore it.
If I get told: “I know you’re scared. Ignore the fear. Just do it,” I see the person talking as a bully, not as an inspirational leader.
Fear has an important message. It deserves to be listened to. That’s where courage lives. When we respect the fear enough to listen to its message. When we listen to the message and then make our own determination about the best way forward, with a clear head, not one clouded by fear.
