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The article below talks about today, the economic crisis and how paralyzing fear can be.

Leadership is facing fear and moving through it. It is my hope this article will provide a little reminder nothing is worse than fear itself.

THE LEADER'S EDGE © 2008 by Dave Timmons  -  September 2008

THE SECOND LIST: Leading Through FEAR in Today’s Workplace.

Some of you know the current economic crisis will end. Markets will rebound
and your 401K and home values will rise again. At some point, the
proliferation of negative media will subside and instead of talking about
bailouts, foreclosures, meltdowns, and layoffs, we’ll once again have strong
markets, home values, productivity, and growth. Until then, every Leader
has to have a strategy to deal with FEAR.

Fear grips people in different ways. It is the main meal of
procrastination. Fear is also the best friend of indecision. And Fear is
the leading cause of stunting personal growth and productivity. As a
leader, this is challenging because you not only have to deal with your own
fears during tough times, but those you influence. What are they thinking
and feeling? Have you asked what scares them? How do you lead them through
this?

I’m convinced our ability to find and instill new courage in the face of
today’s fears, is the key difference between mediocre leaders and great
leaders. In fact, these are precisely the times when many great leaders are
made. One definition of Courage I like is this: “The ability to control
one’s fear, so as to face danger, pain, and trouble willingly.” Therefore,
to give you something practical to try in an effort to control your fear,
here is my three-step process that should activate new courage and move you
forward:

1. NAME YOUR FEAR. When faced with a fear, get very specific and articulate
what you are REALLY afraid of. Then, write it out. The power of saying it
and writing it will actually diminish your fear’s power.

2. SHARE YOUR FEAR. Find a trusted friend or loved one with which you can
share your fear. Discuss why you feel you are afraid. This will give you an
instant support and encouragement partner to help you move forward. It also
gets your fear out in the open and creates some momentum to find a solution
to control it.

3. MAKE TWO LISTS. You’ve already started making the FIRST list. This is
called the Worst Possible Outcome list. For some reason when faced with
fear, we immediately start imagining the very worst outcomes that COULD
happen. It’s OK to make this list because we do have to PREPARE for the
worst. But when we FOCUS on the worst, we feed our fears and they get
larger and more paralyzing. The key to moving forward is to make THE SECOND
LIST.

THE SECOND LIST is your Best Possible Outcome list. What are the very best
outcomes that could happen by facing and overcoming your fear? Seriously,
there is always a Best Possible Outcome list that can be made. For
instance, if losing your job is a major fear and you’ve already taken steps
one and two above, your Best Possible Outcome list might look like this:

a. No change. You keep your job.
b. You keep your job and get a promotion
c. You learn to prepare a great resume’ for future opportunities
d. You count your blessings for what you have and who you are
e. If you lose your job, a better job is looking for you
f. New people will come into your life to help you
g. You get to spend quality time with loved ones while in transition to a
better job
h. Believe “This too shall pass” and when it does, you’ll be better and
stronger mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially.

This is not just positive thinking but a conscious decision to change your
focus to something that will move you forward instead. Without THE SECOND
LIST, your only option is to focus on your Worst Possible Outcome list,
which feeds your fear and stops you from controlling it and moving forward.

Try this. Share this. And let’s not just get THROUGH these tough times,
let’s get FROM these tough times! DT

Need a Leadership program on Fear and Courage? Dave Timmons is a Leadership
Artist who helps people acquire and inspire breakthrough results through
the Art of Six String Leadership. To book Dave, call 813-948-6709. For
permission to reprint this article, please write to Dave@DaveTimmons.com
and place ARTICLE REPRINT in the subject line. Thank You!