There are generally 4 types of leaders –
- Those that are mostly anxious at the beginning of tasks.
- Those that are mostly anxious at the end of tasks.
- Those that are always anxious, from beginning to end.
- Those that are never anxious, from beginning to end.
The first set use their anxiety as a burning platform, to increase sense of urgency.
The second set use their anxiety as a panic button, to increase disorder.
The third set are used by anxiety, to no end.
The fourth set do not have a clue what is going on.
For every task, it is good to assess where you are on the continuum of anxiety.
If you are at the start of a task and you feel anxious, there is nothing wrong with that, use it as a call to accelerate understanding and action.
If you are at the end of a task and you feel anxious, there is something to learn about obvious critical gates you dismissed during the journey, which has planted a lot of doubt in the end. Learn and commit to do better.
If you have remained anxious throughout a task, then you are hiding significant vulnerabilities. Remember, all that is hidden, begs to be discovered. A vulnerability shared with others is a strength, you control the narrative. A vulnerability discovered by others is a weakness, the narrative controls you.
If you are not anxious throughout the task, find out why you feel overconfident. Read the fine print. Dig deep into the details. Note that this is the worst trap. Anxiety means there is some uncertainty and life always holds some uncertainty. If you cannot see any uncertainty, then you are blind. If you are blind, then you cannot see what’s coming. If you cannot see what’s coming, you are the target.
– Osasu Oviawe