Fear is the mindkiller

"So many so-called leaders are trying to fill up our imaginations with scary visions and angry emotions. They want us to buy into their visions that the sky is falling."
- Rob Brezsny, excerpt from Fear vs. Intuition

Coincidence is something I don't take lightly. Just yesterday, my friend, Josh, told me the story of how he was deciding between two job offers. One was from Jefferson High School and the other from a different school. As he was leaving his office downtown and pondering which offer to choose, he came around the corner, looked up and saw a street sign that said – JEFFERSON. His office threw him a wonderful going-away party, completely supporting his decision to become a teacher. How often is it that we can walk into our current employer's office, tell them that we want to try something new, and get their unequivocal support?

Which brings me to the quote above. I scour blogs and have a library of books on leadership, hoping that, somehow, I can absorb enough and implement enough good practices to provide the leadership that many are looking for. If anything, I've learned that there is no perfect formula and that even those we consider to be the best examples of leadership are constantly seeking ways to get better.

Of everything I have read, from stories that friends and colleagues have told me, and from personal experience, I have learned that, as Rob Brezsny touched on, fear is a tool too often used these days by those who should be raising hopes instead of dashing them. The economic tornado, while being scary enough on it's own, somehow opened up a terror tacklebox filled with warnings like, "There are a lot of people out there looking for work who would gladly do your job for less money." Unfortunately, many folks took the bait.

In a recent blog post, Scott Eblin talked about "Seven Simple Rules to Create a Fear Based Culture." The interesting, and sad, part of this article is that he didn't come up with these seven rules on his own. They came from reader comments that he's received. My friend, Josh, just left one of the best companies in town. A company known for truly appreciating their employees and promoting a work/life balance. I know so many people who yearn to work at such a place, where leaders applaud your love of life and the many directions it can take you. Changing careers can be extremely scary. Can you imagine a current employer not only supporting you in your decision, but offering you encouragement every step of the way?

As we slowly, but surely, peak our heads out of the recession cloud and people are finally wiping off the goo of fear, it's been interesting to see articles that, while still exercising caution, are spreading a little hope. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more people will summon the strength to follow their bliss... and throw the tacklebox overboard.