Getting UnStuck with Guest Writer, Mark Miller
I’ve known Mark Miller for more than a dozen years. There is no greater authority on servant leadership than Mark. The following is an excerpt from his most recent book, “Leaders Serve Here.”
I cannot recommend this book enough. There are so many “YES! I get it” moments, that will encourage you, sharpen and strengthen you. Here is my friend, Mark Miller:
How do you overcome fear to start something new?
I’m not sure where the myth of the fearless leader began – perhaps in ancient mythology…thus the name? In my life, and the leaders I know, fear is real. Fear about many things. One of our leading fears often revolves around the unknown – unfortunately, all the future holds is yet unknown.
The past is the only path to certainty. Historians traffic in facts, leaders travel by faith. Not necessarily in a spiritual sense, although that’s an approach I personally recommend. Leaders must have faith in their vision, their strategies and the people they’ve enlisted to make the dream a reality. ALL of this is faith-based. We must have hope is things yet unseen.
Leaders are confronted continuously with the inherent fear that comes with uncertainty. However, leaders must fight with all their strength to not be paralyzed by fear. This isn’t easy – the laws of the physical world create a vivid illustration as to why it’s so hard.
The present is known. Therefore, there is a gravitational pull toward today. This creates inertia. Do you remember this from grade school? A body at rest tends to remain at rest until acted on by an outside force. In our organizations, leaders are that outside force. We must diligently and purposefully push against the inertia of today.
In our lives, we may need others to provide the “outside force” to help release us from the grip of inertia. This could be in the form of a coach, a supervisor, a peer, a spouse, an employee, a friend, an accountability partner, or maybe even a blogger.
One idea I’ve shared with other leaders racked with uncertainty is straightforward:
Rather than focus on what you don’t know, concentrate on what you do know.
Often, if you think deeply about this, you’ll discover you know more than you think. You may also conclude you know enough to act.
This recommendation is not to minimize the need for information to make good decisions. And, granted, the more information you have, often the decision ahead gets safer, clearer or easier. Although, this is not a guarantee. Sometimes, leaders get stuck when they have too much information!
The bottom line, at some point we must act. If we don’t eventually act, we’re not leading. So, my advice, in summary, is: Focus on what you know, face the fear and get started! That’s what leaders do.
Mark Miller is the best-selling author of 6 books, an in-demand speaker and an executive at Chick-fil-A. His latest book, Leaders Made Here, describes how to nurture leaders throughout the organization, from the front lines to the executive ranks and outlines a clear and replicable approach to creating the leadership bench every organization needs.