CEO Note to Self

ARE YOU AFRAID OF FEAR?

You should be but not in the way you might think.
I want you to know and acknowledge when you are afraid---and to not be afraid of that fear.
That way, your unaware fear won't cause you to do goofy stuff.

Now I really do know that leaders are:  (or have to appear to be)
Strong
Confident
Sure-footed
Bold
Decisive
Willingto step forward--get it done--win!!

So you can see that you are programmed to avoid fear.
And yet you probably have some fears such as:
I'm afraid the competition is too far ahead of us.
I'm afraid my top talent isn't as good as I want.
I'm afraid I won't be convincing in the next analyst call.
I'm afraid my business is out of control.
I'm afraid we've committed resources to a strategy that won't produce-----fast enough.
I'm afraid I'm burned out and don't have  new ideas or direction
I'm afraid I don't see the next trajectory for growth

My point is this.
You do have fears.
You are programmed to hide or minimize them.
Examine and sooth those fears before you take major decisions.
Or you will take goofy action like:

Insisting that all your direct reports work in the same geographic location.
Asking for more and more reports and checklists of your people.
Gearing your product to the competition instead of your market.
Handing your company over to outside consultants.
Letting your  public relations spin get out ahead of your reality.
Being appeased by seeing people work hard not smart.
Making exaggerated responses to minor circumstances.

Fear has good insight in it if you let it into your data base.

Where, how and with whom can you dig into fears without being afraid?