5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders
5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders — Fear of Exposure
“Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you: I’m successful. But am I really adding enough value to the organization? I think about the teams that I’m responsible for—the vast array of output and all that they are capable of, and my job is somehow to hold it all together. If I...
5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders — Fear of Failure
“Please don’t tell anybody, but I’m scared. My organization has invested $100M in this new initiative, and the outcome will brand my career. If it succeeds, I’ll be a hero. But if it fails, people will look at me as the person who squandered all the work hours, all the...
5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders — Fear of Rejection
“I really didn’t expect this. I’ll admit that I’m used to being liked by the people around me — and I’m used to people going along with my proposals and my ideas on what should be done. But I’ve run into a wall. I’m hitting obstacles that I’ve never encountered...
5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders — Fear of Incompetence
“I just got promoted, and I was really excited about the opportunity. But things just aren’t working out as well as I thought they would. It seems like every time I want my team to go one direction, they all end up going the other way. I’m trying really hard,...
5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders — Fear of Disconnection
“Why did I say ‘yes’ to this job? Why have I invested so much of my life into my work? Why did I trust everyone around me so much? I never saw it coming. No one gave me a warning. They’re edging me out, pushing me aside—and it’s painful. I...
5 Fears of Mid-Level Leaders
Over the past two decades, I’ve worked as an executive coach with hundreds of leaders across the United States and around the world. I have discovered that many leaders—in spite of their very different titles and job responsibilities, situations and work locations—have something in common: their fears. Ironically, most leaders...
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