“… the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”

Notice how President Roosevelt described fear: “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror.” He was talking about the Great Depression, but the concept is the same today with what you may be facing.

The pandemic, economic uncertainty, political storms, and other societal events grip our consciousness. Politicians and media, especially “news” and social media, capitalize on our insecurities and add to them. Anxiety about the future is stoked to induce the need for “keeping up” and tuned to the news. This in turn increases anxiety even more to where increased anxiety itself has made the news.

If we don’t keep fears about the future in check, we will unnecessarily retreat from life … personal and professional. And that’s not good for you or those around you. And doubly not good if you are a leader.

Don’t let them do it to you.

Take out your “head trash” – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified fears – and live better.

Here are some perspectives and actions to do that …

Fear can actually be good as it is a basic survival instinct. It has both mental and physical components. It saves us in emergency situations and is a normal part of human functioning. We need it for the true, immediate emergencies we may face in life.

The main problem with fear is when fear isn’t related to true, immediate emergencies.

It is the “might happen” type of fear that gets us into trouble.

One of our strengths as humans is the ability to think ahead and imagine danger in our future path. Unfortunately, this ability also allows us to overreact in the current moment. The overreaction comes from unjustified fear.

The further the event is in the future, the more the “good” side of fear ceases to be good and drawbacks mount. Most any “emergency” in the future is a non-emergency right now. “Maybe” doesn’t merit real fear and fear-based mental and physical responses.

To reduce fear and anxiety, we must address the causes. The two main causes of fear and resulting stress in the workplace and life, according to Dr. Alan Weiss, are:

1. Not knowing what will happen tomorrow.
2. Feeling like you have no influence over what will happen tomorrow.

We can handle these!

1. Accept you will never know exactly what will happen tomorrow.
2. Understand you may be able to influence, but not completely control tomorrow.
3. Convert nebulous, internalized fears to specific concerns. Then take appropriate actions in your control.

Accepting you can’t know exactly what will happen tomorrow sounds negative. It’s actually the opposite. Acknowledging some uncertainty in the future is positive. It frees you from needing perfect plans based on imperfect knowledge.

Proven risk management tactics will reduce your fear and anxiety by concretely addressing uncertainty. Ask these questions about each of your big fears:

• What is the fear – what exactly am I afraid of?
• What are the chances – the probability – that this thing will actually happen?
• Is there any way to reduce the chances of it happening?
• How would I know that it’s about to happen? What “trip wires” can I identify that will alert me that I should prepare for this?
• What will be the impact if it happens?
• Is the impact likely enough and significant enough to prepare?
• If so, what preparations can I take so I’m ready when one or more “trip wires” indicate the fear is about to become reality?
• What can I do before or when it happens to limit impact?
• Am I willing to do the preparations and pay the cost?
• Is the time and cost worth it compared to the benefit of preparing?

The questions help move us from something fuzzy to something that is more defined. Once we write down what we know about a future problem, it already seems much more manageable.

The questions also provide clues about what we can do – how we can influence – the future. Those questions identify if there are any actions we can take now to limit or even avoid damage in the future.

The last question about benefit versus cost is very important. The answer gives us a clearer idea of how bad we think the risk – the danger – is in tangible terms. This helps us prioritize. If we’re unwilling to invest the time and money to prepare, then we shouldn’t fear at all. That fear is not that important to us.

Working through the questions and making explicit decisions puts you in control, rather than being controlled by fears.

If I live in Nebraska, for example, articles about a potential increase in hurricanes doesn’t mean personal preparation. However, tornadoes are common and need consideration. Even with tornadoes, there is some point – different for different people – where additional preparation isn’t worth it.

Man-made risks also provide examples. We can reduce the risk of future car crashes through driver’s education, driver testing, defensive driving, and the like. We can reduce the risk of tooth cavities and decay by brushing and flossing. But we don’t stop driving to completely get rid of the danger, nor do we stop eating to save our teeth.

You can think of many more examples.

Fear isn’t only a personal issue, it is a leadership issue. Any organization is less productive if fear levels are higher than they should be. Less innovative. Less agile. Lower productivity, innovation, and agility hurt results and the bottom line. Therefore, addressing fear and resulting anxiety is a leadership responsibility.

• Leading implies a direction, so have one in your organization. This is especially important in times of crisis and high anxiety. Directionless organizations provide an environment in which people’s fears run rampant.
• Use the risk management questions above to work on business risks. Help any individuals work through the process from an individual perspective as needed.
• Make sure you communicate what you are doing. People need to understand your actions. Otherwise, you will add anxiety about future actions.

The good news for leaders is that just by leading you will dispel some fear. Inactivity on your part is like the captain of the ship sleeping while the ship is heading for the rocks. Doing so does not give the crew confidence in their future now or in the future.

We can’t change yesterday, nor can we predict tomorrow. We can, however, do something at this moment that will improve our lives in the present and also influence the future.

Fear is only “bad” and invincible if we let it be that way. Don’t let it!

Note: Based on an earlier post from February 28, 2020, amid fears about COVID-19 coronavirus and a possible pandemic, financial market gyrations, continuing terrorism, escalating political dramas, locust swarms in Africa, and so on. The message remains the same, even as it did in 2017 with the then-update of a message originally sent after the 9/11 attacks.