As a leader, you look more than others into uncharted territories. There you encounter the unknown<\/em>, which always brings nearer the unknown within oneself, the principally not knowable<\/em> within oneself, the own part of psyche that one is not conscious of. Psychologist C.G. Jung called this \u2018the shadow,\u2019 a fairly good term. A shadow is indistinct, immaterial yet present, \u2018dark\u2019 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\u2019s there again. It\u2019s you and it\u2019s not you. With the light in front, you can feel it behind your back.<\/p>\n Looking into the unknown inside yourself is not always a pleasant experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n It may lead to anxiety, which is not fear, not even \u2018very much fear\u2019. The difference is clear: fear is for something conceptually distinct outside oneself. Anxiety is for one\u2019s own \u2018inner strength\u2019 when it is felt as at least somewhat out of ego-control.<\/p>\n As a leader, there is frequently also the fear of being found \u2018incompetent\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A huge part of the \u2018power\u2019 of a leader, the \u2018mystique\u2019, arises from playing the symbolic role for a group, thus being a direct relief for the individuals\u2019 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.<\/p>\n Sooner or later, a real leader has to deal with anxiety.<\/strong><\/p>\n Contrary to a non-leader boss, he willingly bears it on his shoulders. It\u2019s part of his job.<\/p>\n Some advice to relieve this anxiety:<\/p>\n You are not alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n