Harnessing Fear, But Positively
- By Robert Pater
- Jun 01, 2022
I’d bet you know of and have even experienced those too-numerous self-proclaimed leaders who’ve weaponized fear as their prime motivator—to remain in control, divide potential resistance, spur actions they want to see and negate those that they don’t. Fear-based leadership is not rampant in politics but also pervasive within many families, in organizations and specifically in safety.
But just as “for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction,” I’ve noticed a positive backlash, a countering trend to proclaim better, more effective ways to achieve results. Perhaps this mindset has emerged from experiencing and seeing the limitations of fear-based leadership? Note the plethora of reveals on LinkedIn describing some incredibly invasive, autocratic, domination-seeking stories of former bosses. And how those posting vow to never work for those kinds of leaders again.
Or perhaps some have read or heard from acclaimed leaders that it doesn’t have to be that way, that there are actual alternatives to leading-by-fear. For example, Andrew Grove, former Intel CEO wrote “Fear never motivates peak performance, only minimal performance.” Numerous studies also bear out Grove's point that fear indeed lowers overall performance on many dimensions.
And one of quality-legend’s W. Edwards Deming’s “14 Points for Management” was: “Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company.” His point being that when people are afraid of being the target of “shoot the messenger,” they’re less likely to provide the honest data and feedback leaders require to make needed course corrections to unfulfilled plans or changing conditions. So, direction-setting and decision-making suffer—deteriorating limited resources, opportunity openings and leadership credibility.
I’ve seen the results of fear-based leadership too many times with too many companies. Fear-instigating leaders quashing creativity (which requires thinking of and trying out new and unproven methods). Torpedoing self-confidence in workers (likely the very intent of an authoritarian boss). People spending far too much time covering their rears (leaving less time to actually focus on higher quality performance), amping up rumor mills and leading to those organizational members with higher self-esteem leaving for more pleasant pastures. And to lots of bad-talking, remaining and sworn off workers warning off their friends and peers from taking a position with intimidating bosses and their enabling company. Not good when trying to recruit new organizational members when workers are at a premium.
This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.