Myth of the Fearless Leader

Many of us were born with the feeling that we were here for a reason. That we were put on this earth to make an impact, to create change, to teach or inspire.

And it’s true. We all have a purpose. We are here to make a difference, although some of us may not know it just yet!

Many of us will ignore that intuitive feeling deep in our gut and silence it.

Others will eventually lean in and listen to that inner voice.

This particular group are the emerging leaders.

The ones who have the courage to make the decision to embrace their dreams and take the first steps towards aligning themselves with their true purpose are today’s emerging leaders.  

But oddly enough, this journey towards becoming a leader does not come with a map or a compass. It absolutely does not come with a big X to mark the spot. There is additionally no set curriculum called “How to Follow Your Dreams“!

And without a clear destination, the emerging leader’s journey may have many starts and stops. It may take them to places they could have never imagined possible. 

And yet we think of today’s emerging leaders as fearless. But it is clearly a myth. 

At every turn, they will have to face their fears of the unknown in order to get to a new destination, a place where they can lead and inspire.

Most likely they will have to face down one new fear after another as they get closer and closer to achieving their vision.

The fear of rejection. The fear of making a mistake. The fear of saying the wrong thing. The fear that they are not ready or good enough. The fear of failure. The fear of success. The fear of doubt. The list goes on…

The emerging leader may never feel ready to step up, yet does it anyways.

Yet a true leader finds their voice. They know that their message must be heard so that it can lead and inspire the change it was destined to create.

The emerging leader learns to trust themselves. To be strong. To be brave.

The genuine leader takes action and is constantly moving towards their dreams. They will learn the art of self-leadership. They will be vulnerable and open in order to serve more people. They will shift and morph until they shape themselves into the hero they need to be. 

A leader may quit. But they will get back up again.

The leader will fail. But they will fail forward.

The emerging leader will question their path from time to time, and even talk themselves out of it. But they find their way back to their true purpose.

They know that it is normal to be afraid.

But the leader is not fearless, no far from it.

The true leader overcomes her fears and is in fact, not fearless at all! 

Originally posted on Thrive Global.