Creative Leadership Coaching

In my last post, we talked about our personal “wheel of fear” – how it works, and how to develop awareness of our wheel of fear as a first step in getting off of it.  Organizations, too, have their “Wheels of Fear.” One might be: We are experiencing intense competition that threatens our survival. Therefore, everyone needs to work harder and longer. People who aren’t enrolled should not be in this organization. Sound familiar?

But suppose this reaction actually represses the changes that are needed in order to successfully adapt to the new conditions? For example, what if successful adaptation actually required people to become more thoughtful and creative?

For this reason, it can be very useful to develop an awareness of you own reaction or response to stress, and how this shapes your leadership strategies in difficult times. I invite you to the following experiment:

1. If you have not already identified your wheel of fear, I invite you to do so. The series of questions that coach Rhonda Britten uses can be found in the post: http://www.creativeleadercoach.com/2008/05/30/getting-off-your-wheel-fear/   (If you are interested in learning more about this model, you can find more information on Britten’s book, Fearless Living: Live Without Excuses and Love Without Regret, in Recommended Reading).
2. After you become aware of your own patterns, it might be interesting to consider: how does your personal wheel of fear affect your leadership strategies in times of stress? 

I invite you to share your experience!