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Season 2: Ep 4 - Fearless Leadership Today our host Jen and Lee talk about common fears that leaders need to look for and ways they can overcome those fears to find success even in failure. “Your capacity does not grow through wins alone—you need the setbacks to develop your character and perseverance. When you overcome through times of loss, you become a bigger person.” Here are seven (7) of the most common fears that leaders, in particular, need to look out for: 1.The fear of being seen as an imposter. If you secretly feel you’re not really good enough or smart enough for leadership, you’re not alone. But left unchecked, those feelings can do harm to your effectiveness. Fear can make you forget everything and want to run. God qualifies the called! 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 English Standard Version (ESV) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 2.The fear of being criticized. Facing criticism is part of the territory of leadership.You don’t have to let it bother you—in fact, you should be concerned if you never hear criticism, because that means you’re probably playing too safe. Think of it this way: If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success. So don’t fear criticism but take it in stride and strive to be your own best and meet your own standard of excellence. On the other side of your fear is everything you need to be. 3. The fear of being a failure. When you fail as a leader, you get everyone’s attention. Failure is something we all fear, but it doesn’t have to mean it’s fatal to your leadership—think of failure as simply part of succeeding. When you become afraid to fail forward, you end up missing out on new learning experiences and new opportunities. In the end we regret only the chances we didn’t take. 4.The fear of not being a good communicator. Not everyone is born to be a great communicator, but good communication skills are essential to leadership. 5.The fear of making hard decisions. A lack of decisiveness can cripple any business or organization. Hard choices are sometimes necessary without much time to reflect. Make the best decision you can based on where you want to go, not where you are, and then move on. 6.The fear of not taking responsibility. As the saying goes, with much power comes much responsibility. To take responsibility you have to first realize that your leadership is the cause of and the solution to the things that matter, and you can’t escape that responsibly by postponing or evading it. The moment you move past your fear and take responsibility is the moment you can change anything. 7.The fear of not getting it done. In today’s global economy, effective leadership is defined by results—but, as we all know well, there are hundreds of distractions and millions of diversions that can get in the way. If you’re fearful you won’t get the job done, stop focusing on the results you want and concentrate on the actions you can take right now that will lead to those results. Paul told the Philippians that living worthy of the gospel of Christ meant fearlessness before enemies. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . not frightened in anything by your opponents (Philippians 1:27-28). Then he gave the logic of fearlessness. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29). The logic is this: God has given you two gifts, not just one: Faith and suffering. In this context, that means: Both your faith in the face of suffering and your suffering are gifts of God. When Paul says, don’t be frightened by your opponents he had two reasons in his mind why they don’t need to be frightened: 1. One reason is that the opponents are in the hand of God. Their opposition is a gift from God. He governs it. 2. And the other reason not to be afraid is that your fearlessness, that is, your faith, is also in the hand of God. It too is a gift. So the logic of fearlessness in the face of adversity is this double truth: Both your adversity and your faith in the face of adversity are gifts of God. Therefore, fear not. Your adversaries can do no more than God grants. And he will grant you the faith you need. These promises are blood bought and sealed. Gospel promises. Isaiah 54:4 Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.