UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF FEAR AND ANXIETY ON YOU AND THOSE YOU LEAD

Fear and anxiety are inherent aspects of the human experience and play a pivotal role in our decision-making processes and survival. And since they are so crucial, if not kept in check, they can significantly impact how they show up (outbursts), what to do about them (ignoring), and our overall performance. 

Before we dive into solving this problem, let's dig into the origins of fear and anxiety, their evolutionary functions, advantages and disadvantages, their consequences and practical ways to leverage them for optimal performance in executive positions.

An Origin Story and Evolutionary Functions:

Fear and anxiety have always served as adaptive mechanisms to help us navigate threats. The "fight or flight" (stress response) prepared early humans to confront or escape imminent dangers like lions and bears. Anxiety, on the other hand, serves to anticipate potential threats and prepare for them in advance.

In the present day, understanding the primal origins of fear and anxiety as a leader is elemental. Since leaders face uncertainties, challenges, and high-stakes decisions as part of their daily routine, managing these evolutionary stress responses becomes imperative. Recognizing the link between the triggers and your response can provide insight into how these emotions influence decision-making and behaviour.

The NOT-SO-SUBTLE signs…

Anxiety and fear manifest in all kinds of ways – some very subtle that you may not necessarily attribute to anxiety and fear.

Learning to recognize them early can help you mitigate their impact.

You might have anxiety if you're a Perfectionist.

Sign: Excessive preoccupation with perfection.

Implication: Fear of failure or judgment, leading to overworking and setting unrealistically high standards. Perfectionism also delays projects, causing bottlenecks, frustration and cost overruns.

You might have anxiety if you over-apologize.

Sign: Constantly apologizing, even for minor issues.

Implication: Constant reassurance can drain your stakeholders' valuable energy and cause doubt (instead of trust and confidence) to creep in.

You might have anxiety if you avoid delegating.

Sign: Reluctance to delegate tasks or responsibilities.

Implication: Fear of losing control or anxiety about others not meeting expectations, leading to an overwhelming workload for you and the start of quiet-quitting for them.

Conversely, you might have anxiety if you're micromanaging.

Sign: Excessive involvement in minute details of projects.

Implication: Fear of mistakes or a lack of trust in team members, leading to an inability to delegate effectively.

You might have anxiety if you're increasingly irritable.

Sign: Uncharacteristic irritability or impatience.

Implication: Anxiety can heighten stress levels, making individuals more reactive to minor frustrations or changes in plans.

You might have anxiety if you're experiencing physical symptoms.

Sign: An increase in headaches, muscle tension, or digestive issues.

Implication: Stress, like anxiety, manifests physically and can lead to increased cortisol – the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels can lead to illnesses like cancer, heart and autoimmune conditions, etc.

You might have anxiety if you're over-planning.

Sign: Spending excessive time planning, often beyond what's necessary.

Implication: Fear of the unknown or fear of failure, leading to an over-reliance on meticulous planning.

You might have anxiety if you keep yourself constantly busy.

Sign: Always appearing busy, even during downtime.

Implication: While looking busy to others, you may also appear TOO busy for them, distancing yourself from your valued stakeholders.

You might have anxiety if your self-talk is negative.

Sign: You're expressing self-doubt or using negative language about your abilities.

Implication: Your underlying fear of inadequacy or failure may impact your stakeholders' confidence in you. It may distance positive thinkers, those you need most on your team.

You might have anxiety if you're withdrawing yourself from social engagements.

Sign: You're avoiding social interactions or cancelling at the last minute.

Implication: While you may temporarily relieve yourself from the stress of social situations, you're also isolating yourself, which may lead to loneliness and depression.

It may seem counter-intuitive to leverage fear and anxiety to improve your executive presence and performance, but that's precisely what is needed.

Is it easier to shove those horrible emotions down? Maybe in the short run…

Ignoring anxious thoughts, whether in the short or long term, can have serious consequences that impact your life, like increased stress, decision fatigue, physical symptoms (headache, gastrointestinal issues), strained relationships (professional and personal), and sluggish productivity. Those are just the short-term consequences. In the long term, you can experience chronic stress disorder (immune system suppression), severe health conditions, impaired cognitive function (memory, concentration, problem-solving), and total burnout.

Let's go…

Stay mindful – especially in your decision-making: By acknowledging, embracing, and staying curious about your fears, you can train yourself to observe the emotions without being overwhelmed. This one trick drastically improves your decision-making. You have thoughts and feelings. You are NOT your thoughts and feelings.

Develop a dashboard to keep your anxiety and fears in check: Invite respected and trusted individuals to hold you accountable for keeping your anxiety and fears in check. This could look like a journal, a loved one checking in or an executive coach.

Take risks strategically: Rather than avoiding all sources of anxiety, learn to take more considerable calculated risks incrementally. This approach allows for innovation and growth while mitigating the negative impact of risky, unchecked fear. 

Lead a supportive environment: Psychological safety allows stakeholders to communicate openly and honestly. Providing them with the resources and environment to manage stress and leading by example nurtures a culture where everyone feels safe and supported. This is where innovation begins!

Lighten up: Humour is a powerful tool for diffusing and managing stressful situations. It also fosters high-performance, cohesive workplaces.

Breathe: If you can, learn to meditate. Box breathing is also an excellent tool to practice anywhere and anytime.

This last one is a game-changer.

Trust yourself: Trusting yourself is the antidote to anxiety and fear. It's not to say that you should ignore the information that a twinge of anxiety and fear is communicating, but that you can place more weight on how you handle stressful situations. If you can master self-trust, you will have more confidence, clarity, openness, and resilience in all areas of your life. You'll show up more authentically and bravely under challenging situations and conversations with ease. All of this will then spill out onto those around you. Win/Win/Win 

Remember: anxiety and fear are simply information. What you do with that information is what matters next.

Let's wrap it up…

Like it or not, fear and anxiety are complex features of the human experience, deeply embedded in our evolution. Understanding the purpose of these powerful emotions and leveraging them can help you navigate challenges effectively, foster a resilient and high-performing organizational culture, and be transformative for you and your stakeholders.

As always, I'm here if any of this resonates and when you're ready to make yourself a priority.