Fear: Not A Way to Live or A Way to Lead

Have you ever run into someone who is afraid they are going to lose their job? Or who is afraid of failure? Or who is just plain risk averse? Are they successful? In my experience, they are generally not successful or at least not as successful as they could be. 

Leaders must understand risk and be able to accept risk. While there are courses in risk management, the important thing to remember is that there is always risk. Everything we do comes with some risks. Driving to work in the morning has risk (Actually a very high risk). If leaders are unwilling to accept risk, they will be ineffective. 

Someone who is so afraid of losing their job that they refuse to take a risk, may lose their job because they are ineffective. Think about it. 

Leaders must be able to adapt to the situation and be willing to accept the risk of failure in order to be successful. Leaders who are unwilling to accept risk must be satisfied with mediocre performance from their teams, their organizations, and themselves.