When Fear Works ― and When it Doesn't

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLkWYfr89GSRgpKsakf1t_0P4WQ74KKBQ5QokCGAXL2N-CCWnpkRQ_9AnFw_M-zEEE--hrPLJTj1WQIdrXK39WM5QUWVwLhQGEAttPF91NkuhKg2IdWVd3a4N6yANIlP7EsH5ZN7TW5c7HZ2ABwizNsuHKSHcCobKDK03muRvm3oL11pUtdf9e4ew/s1500/Fear.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1500" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLkWYfr89GSRgpKsakf1t_0P4WQ74KKBQ5QokCGAXL2N-CCWnpkRQ_9AnFw_M-zEEE--hrPLJTj1WQIdrXK39WM5QUWVwLhQGEAttPF91NkuhKg2IdWVd3a4N6yANIlP7EsH5ZN7TW5c7HZ2ABwizNsuHKSHcCobKDK03muRvm3oL11pUtdf9e4ew/w640-h524/Fear.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Leadership is about inspiration, not intimidation<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="pullquote" data-pm-slice="2 1 []"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.”</em></strong></div><strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>― La Rochefoucauld, 1664</em></div></em></strong><p></p></div><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Have you ever felt real fear?</p><p>Like the kind of fear that gives you a palpable sense of dread? That makes your chest tighten and your heart pound?</p><p>I remember feeling like that when I first visited a lake in New Hampshire when I was 14 years old.</p><p>Growing up in Connecticut, I was fortunate to have a backyard pool. We used to host YMCA-taught swimming lessons each summer for our friends and neighbors. I remember the pride I had as I received a patch for the level I completed every year: Polliwog, Guppy, Minnow, Fish, Flying Fish, and ultimately, Shark.</p><p>By the end of each day, we’d be as wrinkled as prunes and our lungs would ache from all the time spent underwater. But we were expert swimmers, which made us even braver when we went to the beach on Cape Cod or Newport later in the summer.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>So when I first had the chance to head up to New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee for a week with a friend, I was looking forward to more time in the water, including water skiing and boating ― something impossible in a pool. </p><p>As I dipped my toes into the cool water on the edge of the lake, I enjoyed the soft sand and gravel between my toes. Located in the middle of New Hampshire, the lake is fed by runoff from the White Mountains, which means it’s fairly chilly. I gradually got used to it and was finally able to get my entire body submerged.</p><p>I brought a snorkeling mask along with me, so I put it on and dove down to examine the stones and gravel as it sloped up toward the beach. But then I did something that didn’t prepare me for what came next.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Remember, I had only explored the great Underwater World of My Pool until this time.</p><p>I turned my head around and looked out into the center of the lake with my mask. The dark green, somewhat murky water trailed off into nothingness, such that I couldn’t see anything but a vast expanse that lay in front of me.</p><p>At that moment, I felt that tightening ― that sense of horror ― and immediately burst to the surface. Simply put, I was freaked. Out.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="pullquote"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.”</em></strong></div><strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>― Epictetus, c. 100</em></div></em></strong><p></p></div><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Where does that sense of terror come from?</p><p>It’s certainly within our genetic programming to avoid danger. The old “fight or flight” response is well documented throughout the animal species.</p><p>But that kind of irrational response to nothing: what is that?</p><p>I think it’s a combination of two powerful forces at work ― two forces that are beyond our command:</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><em>We fear the </em><strong><em>unknown </em></strong><em>and we fear </em><strong><em>what we can't control</em></strong><em>.</em></h3><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>How positively and uniquely human is that?</p><p>Humans have been blessed with consciousness, such that we know there are things we don't know (well, <em>most</em> of us, anyway). We’re aware that there is more out there that may be looming, waiting for us. And it is terrifying.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2>Absence of the Familiar</h2><p>In a situation similar to the lake-diving incident, I recall the first time I was on a cruise ship and we were out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. </p><p>I stepped onto the deck one evening close to midnight, and looked out into the distance. It was a cloudy night, so there were no stars, no moon, no ambient light. It was pitch black and I was looking into nothingness. </p><p>And it was terrifying to me.</p><p>It was that same sense of dread, feeling enveloped by the unknown. In this case, fear was borne not through the presence of something, but the absence of it. </p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>In the past, we’ve talked about death (a morbid but real topic). There’s been a natural connection between fear and death for as long as humans have been aware of their mortality.</p><p>If you look at all of the anti-aging products and services available, it’s clear that our desire is to prolong our lives for as long as possible.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="pullquote"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“The thing I fear most is fear… Those who are in pressing fear of losing their property, of being exiled, of being subjugated, live in constant anguish, losing even the capacity to drink, eat, and rest; whereas the poor, the exiles, and the slaves often live as joyfully as other men. And so many people who, unable to endure the pangs of fear, have hanged themselves, drowned themselves, or leaped to their death, have taught us well that fear is even more unwelcome and unbearable than death itself.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>― Michel de Montaigne, 1580</em></div></em><p></p></div><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Yes, we know humans fear many things ― more recently <strong>government corruption</strong> <a href="https://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2018/10/16/americas-top-fears-2018/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">topped the list in 2018</a> and <a href="https://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2022/10/14/the-top-10-fears-in-america-2022/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">has again in 2022</a> ― and death is a perennial favorite. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link is-viewable-img image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 1456w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":429,"width":961,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":71233,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null}" height="429" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd65844ee-006e-461f-a400-8509fad8fc7d_961x429.png 1456w" width="961" /></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>But consider the <em>manner</em> of death that many people have an irrational fear of.</p><p>Things like shark attacks and airplane crashes. Both scary things, right? But also both unlikely things.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>I could share all of the available statistics on each of these things to show how rare they are and how silly it is to be concerned about them, from a rational standpoint. But it wouldn’t matter. </p><p>Why not?</p><p>Because regardless of how uncommon these events are, they both have something in common: <strong>they’re out of our control</strong>.</p><p>You have no control over when or where the great white shark does its hunting. </p><p>When you’re in a metal tube, hurtling through the air at 600 mph six miles above the earth’s surface, you can’t determine what will happen.</p><p>At the same time, why worry about it? If you can't do anything to change it, it's wasted energy.</p><p>And as Montaigne knew, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/17/montaigne-philosophy-death" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>when your fears of death consume you, you can’t enjoy life</strong></a>. </p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>When placed in situations with grizzly bears, mean horses or gunfighters, <strong>Theodore Roosevelt</strong> was afraid at first. And then, as he wrote in his <em>Autobiography</em> he discovered that he could become fearless through practice: </p><blockquote><p>“<strong><em>by acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid</em></strong>.” </p></blockquote><p>It’s another way of saying “fake it ’til you make it,” but TR was spot on: <strong>practice the skills you want to grow</strong>.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="pullquote"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>― Mark Twain, 1894</em></div></em><p></p></div><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>What about the things you <strong><em>do</em></strong> have control over?</p><p>We all like to think that we have some semblance of control over our government (although lately, that’s up for debate). Elections give us the opportunity to express our desires, hopes, fears, and outrages.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="pullquote"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Fear itself these days is America’s top-selling consumer product, available 24-7 as a mobile app with color-coded pop-ups in all shades of the paranoid rainbow.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>― Lewis H. Lapham, 2017</em></div></em><p></p></div><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>If you’ve been following along over the last few years, you may have noticed politicians ― typically on one side of the spectrum ― who make it their business <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201612/fear-and-anxiety-drive-conservatives-political-attitudes" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>to make you afraid and angry</strong></a>. Fentanyl in your child’s Halloween candy, criminals freely flowing over our borders, IRS agents coming for you (all <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2022/oct/16/republican-talking-points-midterms-robert-reich" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>nonsense</strong></a>). </p><p>Why? </p><p>There’s power in fear. </p><p>When you have power, you can control things ― or at least, that’s the perception. And by gaining more control, you can lessen some of your own fears.</p><p><br /></p><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Motivating and Inspiring Your Team</h2><p>In <a href="https://amzn.to/2wqxC3W" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong><em>Only the Paranoid Survive</em></strong></a> (1996), the late Intel executive <strong>Andrew Grove</strong> wrote about <strong>creating a passion for winning</strong> in the marketplace, and suggested that “<em>fear plays a major role in maintaining such passion</em>.”</p><p>While no one wants to be part of a losing team, the way Grove articulated it was akin to creating a set of neuroses among employees: “fear of competition, fear of bankruptcy, fear of being wrong, and fear of losing.” </p><p>He seemed to focus only on the <strong>threats</strong> and <strong>weaknesses</strong> in the classic <strong>SWOT</strong> analysis.</p><p>This is almost as if to invite a corps of Cassandras to your team. If you recall from mythology, <strong>Cassandra </strong>was the Chicken Little of Troy: her constant (accurate) fears and predictions of the future were dismissed by all.</p><p>It's natural to be wary of threats and changes to the environment around us. But to live and operate in abject fear is destructive to morale.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p><strong>Charles Schwab</strong> knew how to deal with people. In the classic <a href="https://amzn.to/2PaRWNs" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><em>How to Win Friends and Influence People</em></a> (1936), <strong>Dale Carnegie</strong> recalls Schwab's approach:</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among the men to be the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement.”</em></strong></p></blockquote><p>When we help our teams trust us and build mutual trust between us, we create an opportunity to rely on each other. And when we tell them about the potential we see in them, we inspire them to become more.</p><p>Stephen M.R. Covey spoke had some sage advice along these lines in the “<a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/trust-and-inspire" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>Trust and Inspire</strong></a>” episode of <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/trust-and-inspire" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong><em>Timeless Leadership</em></strong></a>:</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="1619" data-dashlane-rid="98f4c1167c89b253" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/24241974/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/424242/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The world can be a scary place, certainly. It can also be a hopeful, helpful place. It depends on where you put your attention.</p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></p><p>Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image2-inset"><picture><a class="image-link is-viewable-img image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png" target="_blank"><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 1456w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":383,"width":700,"resizeWidth":448,"bytes":114058,"alt":"","title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null}" height="245.12" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7f9fba2-5c72-4540-ae48-334388c3b569_700x383.png 1456w" title="" width="448" /></a></picture></div></figure></div><p> </p><p><br /></p><hr /><h4 style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="1607" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></center></h4>

When Fear Works ― and When it Doesn't

 Leadership is about inspiration, not intimidation “We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.” ― La Rochefoucau...

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Why Do Leaders Encourage Questions?

<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdbUTfGVG6apQFktq7GqsxdnBkePucv4X9XOsFe3WR6NuNOy5hu9y3WTD63fPd4OZQTqs3AU535ZpL0y1mw99_0I9nRk9Q0FXq9HiqZ1R2LGwQAjj1HEA7kc0TYszNucHF-DIcgeABZJJyJd_frEJfaMnqDaU38wog6qtSZStTz5PR2hKf2UyTj3l/s1024/Questions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1024" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdbUTfGVG6apQFktq7GqsxdnBkePucv4X9XOsFe3WR6NuNOy5hu9y3WTD63fPd4OZQTqs3AU535ZpL0y1mw99_0I9nRk9Q0FXq9HiqZ1R2LGwQAjj1HEA7kc0TYszNucHF-DIcgeABZJJyJd_frEJfaMnqDaU38wog6qtSZStTz5PR2hKf2UyTj3l/w640-h406/Questions.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Something we should be asking ourselves</h3><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Socrates, c. 430 BC</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Did you ever notice how the best leaders ask a lot of questions?</p><p>(See what I did there?)</p><p>Now, let’s be clear. This isn’t the same thing as the “<em>I’m just asking questions</em>” brigade, who attempt to camouflage their insidious implications as if they’re engaging in some high-minded Socratic discussion.</p><p>The seemingly innocent “I’m just asking questions” method is designed to introduce doubt or misinformation, thus keeping their intellectual rudder stuck on a collision course with the shoals of their own worldview.</p><p>In contrast, those who ask questions sincerely and openly are attuned to and prepared for whatever responses they receive, allowing the new information to steer them to new shores of knowledge and perspectives.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><hr /><p></p><h1><strong>The Socratic Method</strong></h1><p>We’ve all heard of the <strong>Socratic method</strong>. The Athenian philosopher and teacher regarded probity and inquisitiveness as the highest order of virtues.</p><p>Socrates engaged in dialogues with his students (we can thank <strong>Plato</strong> for documenting them), often turning to questions. And some of these categories of questioning are relevant to leaders today.</p><p>Leaders who ask questions show that they want to learn more and that they want to help others learn at the same time.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2>Socratic Questioning For Leaders </h2><h3><strong>Clarification</strong></h3><p>Something simple and open-ended can elicit more information. It helps your team think more deeply about what they are asking, and in some cases, it can give them the ability to answer their own question.</p><p>Examples of clarifying questions/statements:</p><ul><li><p>“Tell me more.”</p></li><li><p>“What does this mean?”</p></li><li><p>“Can you give me an example?”</p></li></ul><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3><strong>Testing Assumptions</strong></h3><p>It’s never easy to rethink our positions. But when faced with gentle questions that test the foundations of an argument, together we might find out more to inform our situation.</p><ul><li><p>“What else could we assume?”</p></li><li><p>“What would happen if…?”</p></li></ul><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3><strong>Exploring Rationale</strong></h3><p>When your team gives you a rationale for their arguments, there’s an opportunity to explore their reasoning rather than assume it is a given.</p><ul><li><p>“Why is that happening?”</p></li><li><p>“What evidence is there to support your position?”</p></li></ul><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3><strong>Implications and Consequences</strong></h3><p>When presented with a scenario, plan, or forecast, its helpful to get the team to think through the logical next steps.</p><ul><li><p>“Does the data make sense?”</p></li><li><p>“How do your assertions fit with the variables [market conditions, competitive landscape, etc.]?”</p></li><li><p>“What are the consequences of that assumption?”</p></li></ul><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3><strong>Reversing the Question</strong></h3><p>One of the hallmarks of Socratic dialogue is answering a question with a question. This reflexive approach relieves the leader of the responsibility to have all of the answers (we often don’t have the answers) and empowers the team member.</p><ul><li><p>“What do <em>you</em> think it means?”</p></li><li><p>“Why do you think I asked this question?”</p></li></ul><br /><hr /><br /><p>I’ve collected a handful of resources that will help you think about <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/more-questions" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>at least 50 questions you could be asking yourself</strong></a> on a regular basis, if you’re interested in improvement.</p><p><br /></p><h1 data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><strong>Questions = Growth</strong></h1><p>To learn is to grow, and we can’t learn without asking questions.</p><p>When leaders are comfortable asking and answering questions, it creates a culture of growth.</p><p>Questions are a source of data and information, which we can apply to the problems and challenges at hand. Once we have new information, we are then armed to make important decisions.</p><p>Think of the alternative: moving along at the same pace, with no new information and less ability to solve problems, we remain mired in confusion and uncertainty.</p><p>Without questions, there is no change.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><hr /><h1><strong>“I drank <em>what</em>?”</strong></h1><p>Even at the end of his life, <strong>Socrates</strong> grappled with conflicting decisions by facing questions. He was found guilty of corrupting the city’s youth and straying from its approved theologies.</p><p>In the month between his conviction and execution, he considered the two alternatives, as told in <strong>Plato’s</strong> <strong><em>Crito</em></strong>: exile or death. But rather than face off in a Q&A session with Crito, Socrates instead has a hypothetical conversation with the <strong>Laws of Athens</strong>.</p><p>The Laws remind Socrates of one of his fundamental ethical principles: “<strong><em>neither to do wrong nor to return a wrong is ever right, not even to injure in return for an injury received</em></strong>.”</p><p>And so, they ask Socrates if his escape from prison would harm the Laws and the civic community, imputing that it would be more than civil disobedience; it would be tantamount to destroying the Laws themselves.</p><p>And if a city is not faithful to the rule of law — that is, <strong><em>if it allows a prominent individual like Socrates or other aristocrats to violate the law without consequence</em></strong> — it abandons legal principles for favoritism.</p><p>Moreover, if Socrates escaped and joined other disobedient criminals in a corrupt city of exiles, Crito wonders if it would be worth it. Socrates answers the question: living as a criminal and with criminals is worse than dying under the rule of law.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfH33S7nCz-36rQNo36tz4tKHUOI_jJPEB70U64GFlAVOKBWkfxgn9J_wzTksG8CES25rf3PquVCUODUYLbs8y1ZPOz-HarVzhDmob2_N2-QEJvQdK2Ju8XCEGsNrVdAH2_fz3-xFLMfHZfJzaYoLEjElSdrc84t7tUh2bDNeDUALIVU-LCwdGivUh/s1199/Jacques-Louis%20David%20-%20The%20Death%20of%20Socrates.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1199" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfH33S7nCz-36rQNo36tz4tKHUOI_jJPEB70U64GFlAVOKBWkfxgn9J_wzTksG8CES25rf3PquVCUODUYLbs8y1ZPOz-HarVzhDmob2_N2-QEJvQdK2Ju8XCEGsNrVdAH2_fz3-xFLMfHZfJzaYoLEjElSdrc84t7tUh2bDNeDUALIVU-LCwdGivUh/w640-h420/Jacques-Louis%20David%20-%20The%20Death%20of%20Socrates.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><figcaption class="image-caption" data-pm-slice="1 1 ["captionedImage",null]"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David</i>, 1787 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Socrates#/media/File:David_-_The_Death_of_Socrates.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> - public domain)</span></figcaption></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">When we ask questions, we don’t always get the answers we want or expect.</p><p>We owe it to ourselves to listen to those answers with open minds.</p><p>And to ask questions in the first place. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><br /></p><p>Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link is-viewable-img image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 1456w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":383,"width":700,"resizeWidth":460,"bytes":114058,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null}" height="251.68571428571428" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39320693-b5a8-4218-8899-1b7fa6aafe1c_700x383.png 1456w" width="460" /></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><br /></p><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><strong>What would you say to a bonus?</strong></h2><p>The next time you finish a presentation, instead of asking your audience, “<em>Do you have any questions?</em>” instead try asking: “<strong><em>What questions do you have for me?</em></strong>”</p><p>It’s much easier eliciting questions from an open-ended question rather than from one for which the answer could easily be “No.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="preformatted-block" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><h4 style="font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="9616" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></center></h4></div><p><br /></p>

Why Do Leaders Encourage Questions?

Something we should be asking ourselves “Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.” — Soc...

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Looking Outward While Looking Inward

<p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9q3C7a-JLIQRXs15J0pe7x8ukLFBgKO9VxW1dzjMFjbAFFDL3_upQpZhbNp48-2K3ArhbhTF8AowBsb-oavkgaGDxbO2KDgF0VMfbQ5PXG2R4YVfi7SWOEKlofbUlpxCIpt6LOSBC7pFimyhrKi2wyob5hjfBBo3HjYwz6Sy5C8BA30ymxhYebVu/s1387/Inward%20Outward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1387" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9q3C7a-JLIQRXs15J0pe7x8ukLFBgKO9VxW1dzjMFjbAFFDL3_upQpZhbNp48-2K3ArhbhTF8AowBsb-oavkgaGDxbO2KDgF0VMfbQ5PXG2R4YVfi7SWOEKlofbUlpxCIpt6LOSBC7pFimyhrKi2wyob5hjfBBo3HjYwz6Sy5C8BA30ymxhYebVu/w640-h494/Inward%20Outward.jpg" width="640"></a></div><p><br></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Leaders need to balance self-awareness with external competition</h3><div><br></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“The chief proof of man’s real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890</em></div></em><p></p><p><em><br></em></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">“Alan, what kind of car do you drive?”</p><p>That was the question I put to <strong>Alan Mulally</strong>, CEO of Ford Motor Company, in December 2008 — the final question at a Q&A session on Twitter that would mark the first time a Fortune 500 CEO took questions from Twitter followers.</p><p>I had engaged him in this impromptu interaction with fans about five months into my tenure and weeks after some high-profile appearances in front of Congressional committees, where U.S. automakers were under intense scrutiny.</p><p>So it was natural that interested and engaged people would want to know what kind of car the CEO of one of the Detroit automakers drove.</p><p>And his answer blew me away.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><hr><p><br></p><p>If you recall, late 2008 marked a tumultuous time for automakers, with the financial and automotive meltdown in full swing. GM and Chrysler were in a battle for their very existence, and Ford — which financed its turnaround plan two years prior — stepped up to support the industry.</p><p>I arrived in Dearborn that July, hired by Ford as the first executive tasked with leading social media and digital communications at a global level.</p><p>It was only ten days after I arrived that the company announced an $8.7 billion quarterly loss, and the <strong><em>Carpocalypse</em></strong> was underway.</p><p>As you might imagine, I wondered if I should pack my things and move back to Boston.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>But many things I encountered, from the company’s <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/compelling-vision" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>vision</strong></a> to its progress on its turnaround plan to the dynamic and inspirational CEO, all told me that there was something special going on here — indeed, it was that sense that caused me to sign with Ford to begin with.</p><p>So when that December day arrived, we were previewing our product announcements slated for the January 2009 auto show with business and automotive press.</p><p>At one point during the session, a set of double doors opened, and in walked Alan Mulally and Bill Ford, shoulder to shoulder, ready to take questions from the gaggle.</p><p>One of my secret weapons as an executive was maintaining an active and transparent Twitter feed, engaging with people about my own journey and the progress I was seeing inside of this American and global icon. As impressed as I was to see the CEO and the executive chairman together, I thought my followers would be as well, so I tweeted it out.</p><p>That’s when the magic happened.</p><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Alan had been prominently in the headlines in recent weeks, having appeared before Congressional committees related to the automotive crisis, so his name was familiar to those attuned.</p><p>And one of my followers tweeted back, <em>“See if you can get Alan to take some questions here on Twitter.”</em></p><p>As the press scrum broke up, and Alan emerged from it, he saw me and said,</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“Hey, Scott! What’s up?”</em></strong></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>The exchange exemplified the type of eager and interested leader he was:</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“Alan, would you be willing to answer a few questions on Twitter?”</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>“Absolutely! What’s Twitter?”</em></strong></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Writing that line still makes me smile. He didn’t care about the technology or the platform; he simply wanted to be able to talk with people in a transparent way.</p><p>I quickly explained it to him, and <a href="https://youtu.be/5y6k3Z4XNTg" target="_blank">he <em>immediately</em> saw the potential</a> of this new way of being able to connect with consumers, investors, and many other groups of interested people at scale in real time:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5y6k3Z4XNTg?start=420" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">So we ran through a few questions and finally landed on the doozy:</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“Alan, what kind of car do you drive?”</em></strong></p></blockquote><p>Now, I didn’t know if his security team would be concerned with giving away Alan’s vehicle information, so I looked to them for guidance. They nodded a tacit approval, and Alan gave a response that I’ll never forget.</p><p>He looked me straight in the eye and said, </p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“Scott, I drive a different car every day.”</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>“Oh, that’s great! You make sure to experience the entire Ford lineup…”</em></strong></p></blockquote><p>He interrupted, grabbing my wrist and squeezing it gently in rhythm with his next sentence:</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“No. I drive the competition’s cars too.”</em></strong></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>And that’s when I realized that Ford was dealing with a very different CEO. One who understood that the industry’s myopic vision was keeping it from being truly competitive on a global level.</p><p>On the topic of ignoring external forces, Henry Ford said long ago:</p><div class="pullquote"><p><strong><em></em></strong></p><blockquote><strong><em>“The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all but goes on making his own business better all the time.”</em></strong></blockquote><p></p></div><p>And there’s a certain truth to that, but it glosses over what it takes to lead a business to better results.</p><p>Alan knew that a good leader needs honest self-awareness combined with a healthy understanding of external forces. Neither one nor the other alone is sufficient.</p><p>When you’re too wrapped up in your own world, it’s tempting to think you have all the answers, even if you’re woefully out of your depth — as one automotive executive recently <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d3kb3/elon-musk-ukraine-map" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">demonstrated in his attempt to dabble in global geopolitics</a>. </p><p><br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"><span></span></p></div></div></div>

Looking Outward While Looking Inward

Leaders need to balance self-awareness with external competition “The chief proof of man’s real greatness lies in his perception of his own ...

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Leaders Need to Be Challenged

<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container" data-pm-slice="2 1 []"><figure><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pxHZsUqZZhlV6EyscjMUkRSnZ2J9i6pG7oHFCUzCjg1j4-q_YbW4rgALnUJ8vEB9syFTuvEtuNVyZpFRBt5cpiRwg24rh5Cw05WmCTaCHDy6RFSrRl5_JFEdF-sehZpbLZiuNTtiLCP3k5_D-MgkCyvKQ_q9mJTQqdrM5ug2p4o8q5XVn76h9wuo/s1024/Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1024" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pxHZsUqZZhlV6EyscjMUkRSnZ2J9i6pG7oHFCUzCjg1j4-q_YbW4rgALnUJ8vEB9syFTuvEtuNVyZpFRBt5cpiRwg24rh5Cw05WmCTaCHDy6RFSrRl5_JFEdF-sehZpbLZiuNTtiLCP3k5_D-MgkCyvKQ_q9mJTQqdrM5ug2p4o8q5XVn76h9wuo/w640-h470/Challenge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><figcaption class="image-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></figcaption></figure></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">No sycophants need apply </h3><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong><em>“Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— William Blake, 1790</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><p>Speaking truth to power is never easy.</p><p>In years past, the reward for being a naysayer or whistleblower was often paid not with 30 pieces of silver, but with the one-time fee of your head.</p><p>One tradition in the Catholic Church led to thoughtful debate and dialogue, and it serves as a reminder of why leaders need to hear “no” with regularity. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"><br /></p></div></div></div><div class="pullquote"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><em><b>“Quarreling must lead to disorder, and disorder exhaustion.”</b></em></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Xunzi, c. 250 BC</em></div></em><p></p></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2><strong>Devil’s Advocate vs. Antagonist</strong></h2><p>You’ve probably used the term “<strong>devil’s advocate</strong>” before, meaning that you’re taking up an opposing viewpoint for the sake of playing out a mini-debate with someone.</p><p>A devil’s advocate doesn’t necessarily espouse the position they’re staking out, but they present it for the sake of argument, to ensure their partner in rhetoric is thinking through their position.</p><p>Now, let’s be clear: this is different from being an outright antagonist.</p><p>An antagonist counters every position and makes arguments purely for the sake of doing so, with no intended outcome other than to fluster or simply be negative. He is a contrarian for a contrarian’s sake.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><h2><strong>What the Devil</strong></h2><p>A devil’s advocate has a much more strategic and intentional role. The phrase has its roots in Roman Catholicism, from the process of beatification or canonization of saints.</p><p>The Promoter of the Faith was an official position within the Catholic Church. More popularly known as <em>Advocatus Diaboli</em> (“Devil’s Advocate”), he was tasked with critically examining the life of and miracles attributed to individuals proposed for sainthood.</p><p>As Devil’s Advocate, the canon lawyer attempts to poke holes during presentation of facts to point out everything unfavorable to the candidate.</p><p><strong>Pope Sixtus V</strong> formally established the office in 1587, although it was on record as having been used under <strong>Leo X</strong> (1513 – 1521). The office was abolished when <strong>Pope John Paul II</strong> revised the canonization procedures in 1979.</p><p>The phrase survives to the present day, as you know, and it’s a practice that happens in plenty of meetings (“<em>Let me just play devil’s advocate for a moment</em>,” is how it usually plays out.).</p><p>It’s a healthy exercise for every leader to undertake: to invite peers and subordinates to challenge you. It keeps you on your toes and requires you to justify your decisions and rationale.</p><h3><strong><i>The best leaders encourage others to challenge them.</i></strong></h3><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"https://ctt.ac/9Uh17","text":"Tweet this","action":null,"class":null,"belowTheFold":true}"><br /></p><p></p><div class="pullquote"><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Do we want laurels for ourselves most,</em></strong></div><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Or most that no one else shall have any?”</em></strong></div></strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Amy Lowell, 1922</em></div></em><p></p><p><em><br /></em></p></div><p></p><h2><strong>From Devil’s Advocate to Sycophant</strong></h2><p>Let’s flip this on its head. There are leaders out there — I’ll bet you can think of some without too much effort — who refuse to allow dissent.</p><p>To question their decisions is to question their ability. Or so goes the thinking.</p><p>Thin-skinned, praise-hungry, and incurably insecure, the weak leader must be propped up, fluffed, and reassured.</p><p>Such leaders will not be challenged, and their meltdowns and tantrums disabuse subordinates and colleagues of the very notion of countermanding them.</p><p>Consider <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/elon-musk-texts-twitter" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>Elon Musk and his text messaging bros</strong></a>:</p><blockquote><p>“Newly revealed texts in his legal battle with Twitter show pals like Joe Rogan, Jack Dorsey, and Larry Ellison encouraging the Tesla chief to take over the social media company. “It was just fawning over Musk,” said one investor.”</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Or Senator Mitch McConnell’s profile in cowardice (as well as nearly the entire Republican party’s silence over January 6th) after former president Trump <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-mitch-mcconnell-death-wish-racist-1234603518/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">said the senator had a “death wish” and insulted his wife with a racist slur</a>.</p><p>The war in Ukraine is not going well for Russia, but <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/31/russias-putin-is-so-powerful-everyone-is-scared-to-tell-him-the-truth.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>no one will tell Vladimir Putin that</strong></a>.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Qex1VwQxh1jEeWn3U_9SOTE581P0aA-JF0132HZD-dX_sDSRWI1LPwS-Ad3OAZyN_BGNp5sisi78uLp4-kCTDuNBBx3GCiK853W1ODYWRC-WqE6igqjckMr9lO4GMhCq9fAYyuodez72HwiaAifXP_RRlF4nUARtllvNb_je7UPkqV15TfE0SoHQ/s640/Boourns.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Qex1VwQxh1jEeWn3U_9SOTE581P0aA-JF0132HZD-dX_sDSRWI1LPwS-Ad3OAZyN_BGNp5sisi78uLp4-kCTDuNBBx3GCiK853W1ODYWRC-WqE6igqjckMr9lO4GMhCq9fAYyuodez72HwiaAifXP_RRlF4nUARtllvNb_je7UPkqV15TfE0SoHQ/w400-h300/Boourns.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>This kind of leader has no use for a devil’s advocate. Their vizier takes the form of a <strong>sycophant</strong>.</p><p>For it is the sycophant who blurs all negatives, obliterates opposition, and obfuscates reality.</p><p>The leader, so desperate for that which soothes his damaged soul, welcomes this fantasy world and ignores the challenges that are evident to everyone around him. And the “yes men” are only too willing to oblige.</p><p>This inner circle finds a way to survive and even thrive under such leadership, and tries to work the system for its own benefit.</p><p>Often such suck-ups will give the boss exactly what he wants to hear, in exchange for favorable treatment for themselves.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2><strong>Be Like Harry</strong></h2><p><strong>President Franklin Roosevelt</strong> relied on the advice and counsel of <strong>Harry Hopkins</strong>, his most trusted advisor. One day, <strong>Wendell Wilkie</strong>, the Republican nominee for president in the 1940 election, asked FDR why he put his faith in Hopkins.</p><p>Roosevelt replied,</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“Someday you may well be sitting here where I am now as president of the United States. And when you are, you’ll be looking at that door over there and knowing that practically everybody who walks through it wants something out of you. You’ll learn what a lonely job this is and discover the need for somebody like Harry Hopkins who asks for nothing except to serve you.”</em></strong></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>There’s a fine line between an antagonist and a sycophant. One provides a hard “no” to halt us in our tracks and the other showers us with many a “yes,” to simply grease the skids.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="pullquote"><p><strong><em>“It is permitted to learn even from an enemy.”</em></strong><em> — Ovid, c. 8</em></p></div><p>A devil’s advocate is more independent and meant to ask questions and to make us think for ourselves. Trusted advisors can serve as devil’s advocates, as they have a sense of independence and the ability to listen.</p><p>The best advisors think broadly and help the C-suite see around corners to prioritize issues, frame problems.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3><strong><i>Trusted advisors may not have all the answers, but they raise important questions.</i></strong></h3><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"https://ctt.ac/SZ2Q9","text":"Tweet this","action":null,"class":null,"belowTheFold":true}"><br /></p><p>Every C-suite member should have an advisor who asks great questions rather than just provides answers.</p><p>Who’s pressing you with questions?</p><p>Ultimately, the decisions we make rest with ourselves.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s800/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" style="clear: left; color: #007abe; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="800" original="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s16000/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s16000/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 95%; padding: 4px; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><hr style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><div class="preformatted-block" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre><h4 style="font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="9616" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></center></h4></div><p><br /></p>

Leaders Need to Be Challenged

No sycophants need apply    “Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary...

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