A Leader’s Anxiety

March 26, 2018 Fear - Anxiety, Open Leadership No Comments

As a leader, you are always closer to a feeling of anxiety.

As a leader, you look more than others into uncharted territories. There you encounter the unknown, which always brings nearer the unknown within oneself, the principally not knowable within oneself, the own part of psyche that one is not conscious of. Psychologist C.G. Jung called this ‘the shadow,’ a fairly good term. A shadow is indistinct, immaterial yet present, ‘dark’ and sometimes a bit spooky. It always follows you yet you can never grab it. You can hide it by turning off the light, yet if you turn on the light, it’s there again. It’s you and it’s not you. With the light in front, you can feel it behind your back.

Looking into the unknown inside yourself is not always a pleasant experience.

It may lead to anxiety, which is not fear, not even ‘very much fear’. The difference is clear: fear is for something conceptually distinct outside oneself. Anxiety is for one’s own ‘inner strength’ when it is felt as at least somewhat out of ego-control.

As a leader, there is frequently also the fear of being found ‘incompetent’.

It goes further: you have a symbolic function, yet this is not immediately graspable, which is inherent to symbolic functions. You have to rely on something out of your conscious control. There again, anxiety lurks.

A huge part of the ‘power’ of a leader, the ‘mystique’, arises from playing the symbolic role for a group, thus being a direct relief for the individuals’ anxiety. But: at the price of being the one who has to deal with it while bearing this responsibility to others. It makes a leader lonely.

Sooner or later, a real leader has to deal with anxiety.

Contrary to a non-leader boss, he willingly bears it on his shoulders. It’s part of his job.

Some advice to relieve this anxiety:

  • See yourself as basically OK. What you experience, is common.
  • Have a clear goal that you care about, and a clear action plan you can follow.
  • Talk about it with someone who really This may even be someone you lead, or your spouse, your child…
  • Look at your anxiety as a partner in your leadership journey. It can help you and even wants to help you if you relate to it non-judgmentally.
  • Put in your toolkit some ‘quick relaxation’ techniques. Knowing it’s there, is already relaxing.
  • You can feel supported and yet be a great leader.
  • Focus on serving, more than on keeping status.
  • Try to feel in control at a higher level.
  • Listen deeply to others, seeing their anxiety and their wish for you to support them at a symbolic level. They probably also wish to support you, especially if you are a good leader to them.
  • Try to do what you love and love what you do.
  • See yourself as responsible, not ‘guilty’ of anything.
  • Don’t see choices as ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ Choosing is a responsibility, each time again.

You are not alone.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

14. Motivation Without Anxiety in Corona Times

Motivation may be the single most crucial factor in the whole COVID story. Yet it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.   June 27, 2020 Cases worldwide Daily: 176.568 – Total: 10.075.115 Deaths worldwide Daily: 4.891 – Total: 500.624   [There are a few links in this text towards other blog posts by me. You Read the full article…

Why is Adolescent Anxiety Rising?

Adolescent anxiety is reaching unprecedented levels, with nearly one in three adolescents experiencing an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health. Hospital admissions for suicidal teens have doubled in the past decade. These statistics point to a mental health crisis that demands urgent attention. While surface causes such as social media, academic pressure, Read the full article…

Moral Anxiety

Where laws function as the protective shell of a chestnut, moral anxiety belongs to the living kernel inside. It is society whispering to each of its members: “This you may not do, not because it is illegal, but because it awakens something we cannot bear to face.” Moral anxiety is subtler, deeper, and far more Read the full article…

Translate »