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How (and Why) to Use Faith Over Fear as a Successful Steward Leader

4 min read

Fear can drive you to do disastrous things you’ll later regret. When we’re confronted with a challenge, our brain’s fight or flight response kicks in – our fear instinct.

We react irrationally without thinking through the full range of possibilities and consequences. On the open water, fear-based thinking is dangerous because it leads to fear-driven action. Fear that’s not addressed when the seas are calm inevitably leads to trouble when disaster strikes.

That’s why every experienced captain understands the importance of leading from faith over fear on his sailboat. Just like sailing captains, your steward leadership charts the course for either fear- or faith-based decisions at your organization. Today’s uncertain and treacherous waters leave no room for fear. One poor decision made from a point of fear can lead your company down a dark path from which there’s no return.

Unsurprisingly, today’s remote workers report heightened fear and other negative emotions: 54% feel worried, 46% report anxiety, and 62% say they’re stressed.

As leaders, we must prioritize faith in ourselves first so we can lead from faith in good times and bad.

Why Faith Over Fear is the Key to Steward Leadership

As a leader, your job isn’t to bark orders, point out faults, and punish workers when they fall out of line or don’t meet expectations. The best leaders know that they must fill a role as caretakers of the soul for everyone across their team.

Your team already faces enough fear around every turn:

Economic uncertainty
Missing deadlines
Feuds with coworkers
Losing income and livelihood
Not living up to management expectations
Letting coworkers down
Poor company performance and the consequences

They don’t need more fear-based leadership radiating from your presence every time you walk by.

Instead, it’s your job as a leader to exude faith to and for your team. Faith that:

They are capable and prepared to handle the route ahead.
You’ll support their decisions made in good faith.
The organization is invested in their outcome and best interest.
Their coworkers are there to offer critical support.

This faith over fear mindset allows you to become a steward leader who protects his team and creates a safe place for them to thrive. Steward leaders are caretakers: They ease fears, supply tools, and offer support so the entire team can function at optimal capacity.

What Does Fear-Based Leadership Look Like?

It only takes one cataclysmic event for teams running on fear-based leadership to fall apart when it matters most.

Exploiting Weaknesses

Things like performance evaluations and meeting callouts do nothing but instill fear across every member of your organization.

When performance is judged by shortcomings, employees grow reluctant to speak up when there’s a problem they might get blamed for. Issues go unaddressed until they evolve into unavoidable roadblocks.

People point fingers to assign blame instead of finding the root cause of problems and working together to fix them.

Reactionary Thinking and Action

Fear-based leadership leaves you in a constant state of reactivity.

Since you’re chronically focused on your team’s weaknesses and shortcomings, you end up stuck ten minutes in the past backtracking, fixing yesterday’s problems, and dishing out punishments.

Again, this reactionary thinking causes us to ignore a problem’s root causes. Instead of fixing our boat’s structural problems, we patch the holes and hope they don’t leak again – but they always will.

Defensive Team Hostility

A fearful team operates from a defensive, and often hostile, disposition.

Your employees and colleagues show up to work every day worried about potential mistakes they’ve made that will be uncovered today and how leadership will react.

Everyone responds to criticism and complaints – even genuine ones – from a defensive state, seeking to avoid the full range of blame and its consequences. This leaves your team wholly distrustful of each other.

What Does Faith-Based Leadership Look Like?

When a leader prioritizes faith over fear, their team trusts them – and each other. Your team will know you have their back and you’re invested in their best interest.

Focusing on Strengths

Faith-based leaders operate under the assumption that people are generally well-meaning and want to do their best.

Instead of punishing weaknesses, you uplift people based on their unique strengths. You celebrate their individuality instead of forcing them to fit into boxes.

Rather than operating in fear, employees become excited to share their accomplishments and take on the next challenge as a team.

This could translate into removing traditional performance evaluations, reassigning responsibilities for employees, and just adapting a supportive mindset overall.

Proactive Responses

It’s always easier to prevent problems from happening instead of cleaning up after them.

As every sailor knows, regular boat maintenance and cleaning are key to keep your vessel in top shape. Otherwise, something could go drastically wrong at the worst possible time.

When you run on faith over fear, you lead proactively. You look for conditions that might create rocky water ahead and chart a new course.

Proactively preventing problems means no one is ever assigned blame, punished, or fearful.

Honest and Open Communication

Fearful employees don’t speak up when something might go wrong. They’ve learned to keep their heads down and avoid making waves.

Steward leaders foster an environment where their teams trust each other.

With widespread trust, people feel comfortable voicing concerns, problems, and mistakes because they know they won’t be punished. They also know that the issue will be addressed appropriately without anyone losing their job or being put in the corner.

People need faith in both leadership and those around them before trust can build.

Steward Leadership is Always the Answer to Trials and Tribulation

By definition, steward leadership makes you the caretaker of your team. Instead of promoting fears and exploiting weaknesses, it’s your job to lift up each individual worker’s strengths and create a trusting environment.

Effective steward leadership doesn’t happen overnight. People won’t suddenly trust you just because you’ve said something nice. It takes real actions, consistency, and time. Once your team realizes that you’re prioritizing faith over fear, they can learn to trust you. Next, they’ll start building trust and openness with each other.

That’s the goal and it’s the key to long-term success via steward leadership: the only caring way to lead and the only successful style for managing today’s uncertainty.

Are you ready to chart the course towards faith over fear steward leadership? Space is still available for our exclusive spring leadership workshop in the Florida Keys aboard General Patton’s historic yacht. Claim your spot now!

January 13, 2021/by Tim Dittloff

Don’t Let Fear Sabotage Your Team – Learn to Manage It and Adapt

Employee Engagement, Team Building

5 min read

Fear is everywhere.

In many ways, we wouldn’t survive without a healthy dose of fear.

Fear prevents us from walking into traffic or balancing on the edge of a cliff.

Originating in the amygdala, fear is a fundamental component of shrewd decision making.

But like any emotion, the key is balance and management.

If we lose control of how to manage our fears, they overtake us.

We stop taking risks. We internalize. We become stagnant.

On the other hand, without fear, we operate indiscriminately as if consequences don’t exist.

The same thing happens across teams – and it can sabotage an entire company’s success.

How Fear is Paralyzing Your Workplace

On a sailboat, fear can be everywhere we look: the unrelenting water, the wind, the unknown.

Even the reliance of other sailors can invoke fear – what if we can’t trust them to make the right choice in rough water?

The same is true of any business. Workers face different fears every day: unhappy clients, scolding from bosses, letting down other workers, potential layoffs.

Like on a sailboat, these fears can paralyze a workplace if they’re not confronted and managed.

Fear prevents us from making rational decisions. Over enough time, sustained fear can impact memory, emotions, and other psychological processes.

Think of the fight-or-flight response.

It’s useful if you accidentally step into the street, see a car barreling towards you, and quickly jump out of the road. But living in a sustained fight-or-flight state would cause intense generalized anxiety – everything becomes a threat.

Even in cases where our fight-or-flight instinct kicks in, we wouldn’t want it to cloud our judgment and overtake our actions completely. Jumping out of the way to avoid a car won’t help if you jump into another lane filled with traffic.

What Does Fear Look Like in Organizational Behavior?

Over time, sustained fear mismanagement leads to burnout.

Fear is also contagious. On a ship, we’ll isolate a sick sailor to prevent infecting the entire crew. An outbreak on a ship at sea is a disaster.

Within an organization, fear spreads like fire. It infects individual workers, departments, roles, processes, relationships, and revenue.

Here’s what a fear outbreak might look like across a business:

Personal fears: Letting down coworkers, missing deadlines, unprepared for meetings, alienation from goals and outcomes, etc.
Business fears: Departments in frequent disagreement, unclear goals, low confidence, lack of honest communication, low morale, etc.
Existential fears: Unstable markets and economic outlook, automation and AI, changing culture, layoffs, etc.

5 Strategies and Techniques to Manage Fear and Avoid Sabotage

You can’t avoid fear completely. It’s a healthy reaction to instability and danger.

Instead, focus on confronting and managing fear. Turn fear into a useful tool for communication, dedication, and growth.

1. Prioritize Psychological Safety

We’ve all been in situations where we feel psychologically unsafe.

Verbal abuse, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, lies – these all take their toll. Over time, we build unhealthy coping tools and adapt learned helplessness. We stop speaking up and setting boundaries.

On the sea, a lack of psychological safety is dangerous. Imagine if the first mate was afraid of stepping on toes so he didn’t alert the captain to an oncoming iceberg! That’s how the Titanic sunk!

The same is true of a workplace. If someone is afraid of being reprimanded or attacked, they’ll never speak up.

A psychologically safe environment is where:

People feel obligated to speak up when something’s wrong.
People are held accountable for their actions.
Disagreements aren’t inherently aggressive – certain words and actions are.
Asking for help isn’t viewed as annoying or poor character.
Decisions and risks are made for the good of the organization.

It’s not about creating a safe space where everyone says and does what they please without consequences. If people feel psychologically safe enough to say rude things or give detrimental advice, that’s not safe for others either.

That’s why accountability is critical.

2. Develop a Strength-Based Organizational Attitude

Everyone hates performance reviews, don’t they?

Why? Performance reviews or employee evaluations are frightening situations. They drum up all kinds of fearful thoughts like

Have I accomplished enough this year?
Are layoffs coming?
Is my raise on the line?
What did I do wrong this time?

I know this might be surprising, but no one likes to be reminded of their weaknesses. We all have weaknesses we could stand to improve. Unless they routinely make other people’s lives harder, then why are weaknesses even worth addressing?

Instead, eliminate fear by focusing on strengths.

Talk to team members about areas they truly excel – and what they dread.

Whether on a sailboat or at workplace, teams perform best when everyone plays up their personal strengths.

This doesn’t mean, however, that we should ignore major shortcomings to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. In most cases, however, we can avoid a situation where someone’s weaknesses are on full display by promoting the use of their strengths from the beginning.

3. Promote Positive Conflict and Accountability

Conflict is painted in a negative light far too often.

We’ve all seen relationships between two partners who never fight. It’s almost eerie – surely no one can avoid conflict forever.

Most times, a lack of conflict means people aren’t speaking up about problems.

Those problems just bubble below the surface until they pressurize and explode.

No matter the situation, people avoid conflict from fears of:

Being attacked or shouted down
Hurting another person’s feelings
Looking stupid or emotional
Failure to enforce boundaries

Many times, a worker is eager to express their grievances – at first. Later, when no one is held accountable, boundaries are ignored, and nothing changes, they stop speaking up. What’s the point?

Conflict turns positive when two things happen:

People trust they won’t be attacked or get anyone in trouble for speaking up.
Others are held accountable, respectfully, for their words and actions.

4. Build Trust to Learn About Their Fears

We can’t assume people will suddenly be comfortable speaking up after years of bad experiences.

If we want to know our team’s fears, we must ask them.

It takes time to earn trust. People need to know they’ll be respected before they’ll speak up. They need to know leaders will provide honest and transparent answers.

Team building exercises are excellent tools for jumpstarting a new culture centered around trust.

On a sailboat out on the open water, leaders and teams must work together toward a common goal in a way they never have before.

Teams can take that new attitude back with them to the workplace and apply the principles of trust.

Trust is paramount.

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5. Offer Transparency and Stability in Times of Uncertainty

We’re all facing rocky waters right now with no end in sight.

Workers are anxious about layoffs, economic downturns, automation, and acquisitions.

Leadership owes them transparency and stability.

If you don’t know something, say so. Don’t sugar coat things.

At the same time, routines and rituals can help create a pillar of stability in troubled waters. Routine is your lighthouse.

Science shows rituals – no matter how small – calm our nerves. They offer a semblance of control when everything feels out of our control.

Ask any sailor. They’ll tell you their favorite ritual before embarking, like wearing a certain cap or putting on a life vest in a certain way.

Don’t Let Fear Run Your Life – Don’t Let It Dictate Organizational Behavior Either

I’ve seen countless businesses at the brink of succumbing to widespread fear. By fostering steward leadership, business leaders can turn an entire organization’s attitude around.

It won’t happen overnight. Effective team building takes time, effort, and dedication – especially from those in leadership positions.

Tackle business fears on the open water. Learn how Full Sail Leadership development and team building workshops can increase productivity and communication.

September 14, 2020/by Tim Dittloff

7 Strategies for Overcoming Fear in the Workplace

Team Building

Photo by niklas_hamann on Unsplash

5 min read

What is fear? What am I afraid of?

Most people have no trouble naming their obvious fears like public speaking, spiders, or standing too close to the edge of tall buildings.

But what about all the fears we don’t notice? Those are the fears that wreak havoc across our lives.

Fear of success, failure, commitment, change, the unknown.

Overcoming fear in the workplace is critical for creating a growth-centric environment where trust, communication, and strength thrive.

Perhaps that’s why we focus so much on the obvious fears like snakes and spiders. They’re easy to avoid and don’t require serious self-reflection.

I believe the most successful people have a special skill for finding, embracing, and challenging their fears. That’s one thing that sets them apart from everyone else.

7 Strategies for Overcoming Fear in the Workplace and Building Sustainable Success

In all my years on the water, I’ve noticed a sailor’s success hinges on his or her relationship and reaction to fear.

If a skipper is afraid of the waves, wind, and speed, everything will go wrong that possibly can. On the open seas, that’s not the situation you want to be in.

However, if that same skipper looks fear in the eyes and embraces the uncertainty for what it is, he can seamlessly adapt in challenging situations and overcome obstacles. That’s where true success lies.

The same principles for overcoming fear in sailing apply to the workplace beautifully.

1. Think of Yourself as a Steward

As John Maxwell once said, “Anyone can steer a ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.”

My question to you is, are you charting the course or just steering the ship? Overcoming fear in the workplace starts with those in leadership roles.

I recommend all executives start thinking of themselves as stewards rather than business leaders. A steward functions as a caretaker. They make sure everyone on the ship is heard, motivated, fed, and encouraged.

We’ve all seen over the past few months that our environment can change in an instant. We can’t commit to the unstable world around us, but we can commit to each other. Removing fear starts with proper leadership.

2. Build Trust Across the Team

You absolutely cannot overcome fear in the workplace without trust.

No one wants to wind up on a boat where they can’t trust their fellow sailors. I’ve seen sailors break parts of a ship and shift the blame to someone else. It’s not pretty.

When a team suffers from trust issues, people live in constant fear. People can’t allow themselves to feel vulnerable, so they never speak up – even when they absolutely should!

Distrust on a team is like a windshield crack: Once it appears, it continues to spread. It makes people fearful and deteriorates morale. No relationship can succeed without trust, and teams are no different.

People need to feel respected and understood before they can trust anyone.

3. Lead with Strengths, Not Weaknesses

Everyone fears performance reviews – and why shouldn’t they? Who wants to sit down with the boss just to be reminded of their biggest weaknesses and failures?

In any relationship, highlighting someone’s shortcomings breeds distrust and chronic fear.

I recommend overcoming fear in the workplace through strength-based leadership. When each worker focuses on improving their own strengths during normal conditions, they’ll tap into those strengths when the waters get rocky.

Build trust by praising everyone’s strengths. Constantly reminding people of ways they fall short promotes nothing but fear.

4. Use Positive Conflict as Opportunities for Growth

Most people fear conflict. It makes sense: We’re conditioned to believe that conflict is always negative and riddled with aggression.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. In fact, positive conflict is vital for learning, adapting, and growing.

In my experience, the most successful sailing crews openly debate diverse ways of racing a regatta without fearing an adverse reaction. The key element here is trust.

When teams don’t trust each other, conflict is always negative. Resentment builds, workers disengage, the mission all but vanishes, and turnover rates skyrocket.

5. Make Sure Everyone is Committed to the Goal

A lack of commitment to the organization’s shared goal is a structural issue. If we don’t address the structural issue, it impacts every aspect of operations.

Take sailing, would you want to board a ship where the entire crew isn’t committed to the goal of sailing safely and reaching your destination by any means necessary? If even one crew member lacks commitment, that puts everyone aboard the ship in danger!

Every worker needs to know others have their back in times of uncertainty and chaos. Otherwise, they operate in constant fear of failure.

In many cases, this type of fear must first be addressed in leadership by reevaluating the mission, culture, and onboarding process.

6. Encourage Everyone to Hold Others Accountable – Respectfully

Ever wonder why people who stick with AA or other group counseling program are successful in their goal to avoid alcohol or substance issues while others can’t manage more than a few days? It’s not the program itself; it’s the peer accountability.

Peer pressure can be positive or negative. When we surround ourselves with people who challenge us to do better and hold us accountable for our actions, we strive to meet their expectations.

Respect and support are key here. We must hold each other accountable, but with understanding.

Holding each other accountable encourages everyone to harness the fear of letting people down and channel it into something incredible.

7. Create a Positive Feedback Loop

It’s never been easier to focus on an organization’s failures: missed sales goals, shrinking markets, decreased demand. Every quarter and end of the fiscal year, workers hear about all the ways they failed over the past few months.

Seeing business growth in black and white creates a negative feedback loop that provides the perfect environment for fear to thrive. Behind every individual failure on paper, you’ll find a dozen people who tried their best.

Overcoming fear in the workplace requires a positive feedback loop instead.

When people can see and enjoy the results of their labor, they feel encouraged to continue the work. Positive reinforcement pushes people to outdo themselves time and time again for the greater good.

The only thing more frightening than letting yourself down is letting down an entire company. Rewarding and praising teams for a job well done and recognizing their work is critical for creating a fearless culture.

Build a Team That Runs Full Sail

An engaged and dependable team starts with leadership. As the captain of your ship, it’s your responsibility to chart the course, lead by example, and change course when the winds shift and throw you off course.

Full Sail Leadership helps you create a company culture of trust, respect, and commitment through team building. A growth-centric culture requires structural change – not one-off teambuilding retreats.

Read more about how sailing out on the open water is just what your team needs for overcoming fear, building trust, and promoting strong leadership.

August 7, 2020/by Tim Dittloff