Fear-Based Leadership Is Bad Business. Try These 4 Steps Instead

As a leader, you may be tempted to stoke people's fear when they are not getting things done. Maybe this was the approach to your bosses used on you. But if you like to build people's courage-to rise to the occasion, conquer new tasks, and embrace challenges-you will not get there by putting fear inside them.

You'll get there by filling workers with enough courage to dominate their fears. And the rewards are worth it. Workers who are courage-led are more committed, committed, optimistic, loyal, and change-embracing.

Why would not they be?

Imagine working for a boss whose vision is so much that it actually excited you. Imagine working for a manager who value mistake-making a natural and necessary part of your professional development. Imagine working for a manager who saw a repulsive, manipulative, and dishonest thing.

Then go a step further and imagine what the whole company might look like if they put the leaders into practice. It would be a workplace where you could trust the motives and intentions of everyone around you, where you could speak the truth (and customers) .

It's easier to do courageous things when you know that other people are doing them, too. When I was a high diver, for example, there was a strong feeling that we were all in it together. These days, I get the same sense of communal support with my whitewater kayaking buddies here in Asheville.

When paddling through treacherous whitewater, having the encouragement of your fellow river is more important than having a good boat. It makes it easier to face an intimidating situation when you know your situation. Similarly, when courage goes to work with each and every worker, the capacity of the entire organization is greater. Like ever-expanding concentric circles, every single act of courage has the potential to transform the business in unexpected ways. All it takes is someone to start the first ripple.

Courage-Building in Four Steps

People will not start being courageous just because you tell them to. You've got to create an environment that encourages people to extend themselves and take chances. There are four core actions you need to take before expecting people to be more courageous. They are the Courage Foundation Model, and they follow a specific order:

1. Jump First. Why on earth would you expect people to be brave if you are wimpy? Before nudging workers to be more courageous, you need to be the role model. Jumping in first gets you to the first place, and it's the best way to build credibility with your direct reports. By understanding the risks you're going to ask, you'll be able to anticipate how much courage they'll need to muster and which aspects of the challenge they'll be more likely to balk at.
2. Create Safety. Workers play it safe when it's safe to not play it safe. Therefore, to get to know more about it, you will need to know what you are doing. Give people permission to be brave by providing a safe space to express fears without embarrbadment. Point out how they're already doing that very thing they're afraid of. Put it in forward-falling mistakes-the-good-things-you-don? And show you have their backs, and more courageously, with higher-ups.
3. Fear Harness. Fear in the workplace is inevitable. Your job is to make you feel better, but not by threatening workers, but by building up your capacity to be courageous. Sweaty-palms are a normal part of the work experience. By helping workers see their doubts and fears as natural occurrences, they can refocus their energy on the job at hand. They can use the fuel as fuel to do challenging and courageous things.
4. Modulate Comfort. When it comes to career development, too much comfort can be a dangerous thing. As a manager, you'll need to provide comfortable work with uncomfortable and keep them motivated. At the same time, if they become too uncomfortable, you'll need to find newfound skills.

When your behaviors are directed by courageous impulses, you are operating out of your best and braver self. When other people witness your newfound behaviors and the positive results the behaviors cause, they gradually step into their own courage, too. As they do, the energy level of your lifts and a can-do spirit takes hold.