Fear based leadership loses in the big moments

I played sports until I was 22. I learned some amazing leadership lessons.

‍

But one is misunderstood. It took me a few decades to understand why.  

Fear-based leadership causes teams and individuals to crack under pressure.It didn’t matter if it was in youth, high school, or college sports. It didn’t matter what sport. It goes across individual and team sports.  

Teams led by a culture of fear underperform in the big games.

They lose to their rivals and don't win championships. Fear-based leadership is when the desire for control outweighs the commitment to the vision. Leaders end up treating all mistakes as an affront to their control.

They then start to instill fear as a mechanism to regain control. 😤

“You are on thin ice and I can replace you..”  

Motivating by fear may feel like leadership. They are getting people to do what they asked.  But it creates seeds of doubt.

The moments of fear add up. It lays dormant but continues to build.  

Then in the big moment, when you need to perform, it creates a tiny hesitation.  It is doubt.It is the difference between performing and not.

And you see athletes with crazy amounts of “confidence” underperform. They miss the big shot, fumble the play out of bounds, or make a bad pass in crunch time.  

They hesitate.

I have experienced both fear and confidence cultures. There is a clear difference in my performance in important moments.  

I remember coaches who instilled confidence and belief. I knew that if I put the work in, and tried my best, they would be right there for me when I returned to the sideline. No matter what.  

They created an environment for me to explore my boundaries. You can explore what is possible without the fear that you are going to fail.  It is much easier to put the hours in and work hard for a vision rather than fulfilling someone else’s desire for control. (yes, I have analyzed my own desire for control, it may take my lifetime to figure that one out:=)

Phil Jackson is a great example of leading by confidence. Meditation and Zen are the foundation for his relationship with control and desire. He developed the skill of letting go and the awareness of what is within his power and what isn’t. (I’d recommend reading his books and listening to anything you can get your hands on from him)

The best example from my sporting career comes from a simple word of advice from my coach.

He said something to us I will never forget. We were all driving in our rented blue conversion van. It was in Marietta, Ohio. In 4 hours, we would face off for the 4x100M national championships.   He said: "You guys have been preparing for this moment every single practice for the last three years. You are ready. Go enjoy it. And get it done."  

And we did.