As an early stage entrepreneur, cash flow is a bit like a roller coaster ride. I’m taking steps to remedy that but in the meantime, that’s the way it is. As I reflect more on it, I realise that running out of cash is my biggest fear! And it has been so since I jumped into HiB full time a year ago. So what impact does the fear have on me when I let myself get over whelmed by it? I tend to get anxious, which can lead to a restless sleep thereby impacting my productivity the next day .
It’s now been more than a year since I have adopted my mindful practice of meditating every day, which has been a godsend. I’m now able to better observe my thoughts before I get too absorbed by them.
When the fear hits, I remind myself that nothing has actually happened yet. The thought has arisen because of what might happen(such as going broke and not being able to pay the rent). But right now, that has not happened. And probably wont happen either. With mindfulness, the fear is still there but has less impact on me as I’ts helped me be more resilient by becoming more aware of them and not letting myself get lost in a rabbit hole! The key is to remind myself to move my attention from What MIGHT happen to what I need to do NOW.
What has also been liberating is being able to be authentic and let my stakeholders know what is going on for me. Their support has been incredible! (A special thanks to Nathalie Mcneil from Novartis, who has been incredibly supportive!) The more I embraced my mindfulness practice, the less I’m worried about what my stakeholders think of me, and as a result, I’ve felt as if a burden has been lifted and the fear dramatically reduced.
So how do you manage fear in your leadership when it creeps up on you? How many of your fears have actually come true? What impact does your fear have on your stakeholders and team and are you able to express it in a way which engages them rather than pushing them away?