Leading From A Position Of Fear Or Security
Leaders, do you lead from a place of fear or a place of security? In my experience, leaders typically tend to lead from one or the other. The leader dominated by fear is afraid of failing, fears that people are out for his or her position, or struggles to delegate and trust others (including God). The leader dominated by a sense of security trusts his or her abilities, is confident in his or her position and has faith in other people (including God).
The result of the difference is significant:
Leading from a position of fear produces:
Holding onto information
Controlling people on team
Failure to take risks
Shying away from change
Stifling leadership development
Suspicion within the organization
Unhealthy competition among team members
Avoidance of accountability
Leading from a secure position produces:
Authentic, transparent and open leadership
Empowering and releasing team
Risk-taking
An environment that is change friendly
Cultivation of new leadership
Credibility
Healthy community among team members
Welcoming accountability
Leaders need to consider whether they tend to lead from a position of fear or a position of security. If he or she really wants to know, they should ask those close to him or her or people on the team for feedback. If fear is the dominant motivator of a leader’s leadership, he or she should deal with his or her personal insecurities before passing them onto the organization.
I have a suspicion the secure leaders will ask….and the one dominated by fear will not.
What do you think? Have you experienced this difference among leaders?
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