Fear in Tough Times

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' - Eleanor Roosevelt

I recently read an article in which the author said that the nightly news and print media were scaring him worse than any Halloween haunted house he had ever been in. Haunted houses make their money on our fascination with our own fear and so do news outlets. As news becomes more an entertainment medium, sensationalism sells soap. “Are ax-murdering fat-cat hedge fund investors causing cancer in young children? The story at 11!” Politicians also play on our fears. Negative emotions are bigger vote-getters than positive ones. It’s always easier to get people to vote against something than for something.

Justin Pinkerman in Leading in a Climate of Fear: How to Take the Reins during a Recession talks about what we expect from a leader in fearful times and I think we should be looking for these things from our politicians, the leaders in our place of work, and ourselves in family and work situations.

1) Visible Presence

“In times of uncertainty and fear, people look to leaders more than ever.” Like Rudy Giuliani after 9/11/01 or Franklin Roosevelt after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor, leaders are needed who can calm fears and address the threats candidly.

2) Clear Communication

“President Roosevelt's fireside chats gave a unifying message to all Americans.” Tell us what is wrong and what need to be done.

3) Credible Hope

“During tumultuous times, leaders must cut through the gloom and doom with rays of light.” BUT… “When introducing hope, leaders should be careful to avoid speaking in abstract terms. Hope should be mixed with substance.”

4) Difficult Decision-Making

“Leaders inevitably arrive at unenviable decisions… Time and again, they must make tough calls that affect the livelihoods of their people and partners” Bureaucrats are notoriously bad at making tough decisions, layers and layers of bureaucracy allow almost unlimited buck-passing. A leader steps up and makes the decision that is required.

While these are the things that we need from our leaders, they are the things that make a leader the most vulnerable. They are the things that are easiest to criticize. Political (and office political) enemies are always quick to attack these areas. The press can sell more soap attacking than supporting. But a leader doesn’t care. A leader does the right thing, that’s why she’s a leader.