After 11 years of living in Toronto, I finally broke down and bought TV cable the other day. As someone who’s always seeking clarity, I became sick of the rabbit ears and fuzzy picture. Now I have 77 channels pouring in streams of lively, creative entertainment…right? Well, not so much. With 24 hour news channels creating by-the-minute reports, I find myself turning off the tube to shut out all the fearful stories. Now I stare out the window keeping a careful watch for angry-cattle-wearing-face-masks-running-
from-giant-mosquitoes-but-staying-out-of-the-flesh-cooking-solar-rays! Phew! Scary times indeed.

There is no shortage of fear providers…many very relevant. I’m always amazed at the impact fear has on the community. The “public” seems to respond like they have never been through challenging times before. From my perspective, there have always been and always will be things to fear. (We’ve been here before folks). The recent SARS outbreak reminded me of the AIDS announcements of about 15 years ago…remember seeing police with yellow rubber gloves and face masks as they “handled” crowds? Remember the stock market crash…er…adjustment of 1987? How about the big recession of the early 90’s? War? Terrorism? Coyotes in High Park? Cholesterol? Static Cling? Flabby Abs? The list is endless.

In early 1999, my colleagues and I designed a Y2K team building program to address the rising fears within corporate offices. We thought it would be a well received, fun and valuable way to help corporate teams turn fear into leadership strategies….most of our clients agreed. The interesting result, however, found the corporate teams unwilling to discuss Y2K…even in a fun and progressive way...no one bought the workshop. Perhaps it was due to media saturation but there seemed to be so much fear or disconnect at the time, many chose to not deal with the issue at all. Fascinating! From a leadership perspective, the choice to do nothing is still a choice! Crossing our fingers doesn’t help client relations. Every choice we make has consequences and every fearful topic creates opportunities for emerging leaders.

Many companies disappear or go into hiding to wait out the storm. Those who choose not to wait, get busy creating fresh, exciting, and inspiring strategies. Leadership is about inspiring a following so why not show the fearful public a way out…become the guiding light that acknowledges the fear but stays in the game regardless. When people don’t worry about their own survival, they are able to emerge with attracting qualities that stimulate business growth and stronger client relations. True Leaders don’t blame markets or situations but instead, get very creative and Think Outside the Bowl with business and management solutions never seen before. Opportunities are ever present…we all have the choice to see them or not.

A recent interview on TVO (don’t need cable for that channel) heard a wheelchair-bound pilot state these inspiring words:

“Step away from the fear and it grows behind you. Step into the fear, and it shrinks with every step.” (paraphrased)