By: Stan Popovich
Sometimes, fear and anxiety can overwhelm us when we have to be a leader. Being a leader requires the ability to lead people in doing a certain task. This can sometimes be a little scary. As a result, here is list of ways in how to reduce the fear and anxiety of being a leader.
The first thing a person must understand is that you need to know what the task that needs to be accomplished. Knowing what you must do is important and can save you a lot of time and stress. It would be a waste of time if you performed a task for a few weeks and realized that it was a waste of time. Know the task on hand and communicate this with your team members.
The next step is to develop a plan on how to accomplish the task. Get a piece a paper and write down the steps that your team needs to accomplish in order to accomplish the goal. This will save you a lot of time in the long run and reduce stress and anxiety. Once you write down the steps, follow each step one at a time. This will help reduce the stress and anxiety of rushing at the last minute to meet a deadline.
Communicate with your team members on a regular basis. It is important that everyone on the team is on the same wavelength. For instance, your company needs to develop a new advertising campaign and your team is to present the board on how to go about it. The last thing you want is to have your team members assume that they know what is needed and have them do their own thing. Meanwhile the other half of the team is going in another direction. This leads to wasted time and effort. Talk with your team members daily to be sure everyone is doing what they are suppose to.
Prepare for unexpected surprises. Sometimes things happened that might take everyone by surprise. Be flexible and when expected things happen learn to deal with them immediately. For example, some members of the team become sick and are unable to do the tasks. Instead of getting all stressed out just reassign some of the tasks to other people. Another idea is to find someone to help out for a few days. Getting upset when things go wrong can cause a lot fear and anxiety. Being prepared for surprises is important when being a leader.
Finally, do what you can today. Do not put things off when you can do them today. As a leader, it is important to have your team members do what they can during the day. Don’t have them assume that they can do it next week. You never know when something may come up and being efficient on a daily basis can prevent future problems down the road.
Being a leader can be stressful but there are ways to help manage that anxiety. If you still have trouble then talk to a counselor or professional who can help lead you in the right direction.
BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/