“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” You’ve probably heard that said, and nowhere is it truer than in leadership. One of the most challenging aspects a leader can face is having clear goals and a vision without the necessary skills to guide their team in that direction.
Leaders in this position can very easily become part of the problem, leaning more on fear-based leadership than on servant-based leadership. I’ve been there. You can see the finish line, and all it takes is to motivate the right group of folks in the right way, but for one reason or another, they won’t get moving.
For lack of knowing what else to try (and, let’s be honest, with some amount of frustration), you start to apply the “stick” instead of “dangling the carrot.” But that doesn’t really work either. The work gets done “good enough” but lacks that oomph and polish that could make it shine, and now your team’s morale is in the gutter. Before you know it, you have become the reason things aren’t working. You’ve gotten in your own way—and everybody else’s, for that matter.
Let’s face it. We are human-becomings, after all.
In this blog, I aim to explore some common ways people revert to leading through fear and the reasons behind it. Let’s dig in.
Fear-based leadership occurs when a leader manages people by using fear tactics—such as intimidation, threats, or constant pressure—instead of inspiration, trust, or encouragement. On the surface, it may look like it gets results, because people scramble to meet deadlines and avoid mistakes. But beneath that surface, fear doesn’t create commitment; it creates compliance. Instead of helping people grow, it keeps them anxious about missteps, worried about punishment, and focused more on avoiding failure than on doing their best work.
The truth is, fear-based leadership may feel like control, but really it’s a nail in the coffin for long-term success, it’s just a matter of time. It drains creativity, kills loyalty, and leaves a team running on fumes rather than fueled by purpose.
Real leadership isn’t about keeping people in line; it’s about giving them the courage and confidence to step up, contribute, and thrive.
Consider these signs of fear-based leadership. Let the words sink in and notice how they make you feel. (Spoiler alert: probably not great.) Which ones have you engaged in? Which ones have you been on the receiving end of?
Micromanagement: Constantly checking and controlling every detail, leaving no room for autonomy.
Threats and Intimidation: Using consequences or punishment as the main motivator.
Blame Culture: Pointing fingers when things go wrong instead of solving problems together.
Withholding Information: Keeping people in the dark to maintain control or power.
Shutting Down Voices: Discouraging questions, feedback, or dissenting opinions.
Playing Favorites: Creating insecurity by rewarding loyalty over performance.
Short-Term Compliance: Teams follow directions out of fear, but lack true commitment or creativity.
Aside from the immediate impacts these tactics have on your team—causing anxiety, worries, and a focus more on avoiding failure than finding success—the psychological toll of fear-based leadership reaches beyond the office walls. Employees carry that weight home.
Picture a family sitting around the dinner table, feeling the tension of a parent or spouse who has spent their day under a cloud of criticism (tacit or expressed). All it takes is something small, like spilled milk, for the frustration and exhaustion to boil over. Now, there’s conflict in relationships that should be a source of support and safety.
The damage also seeps into a person’s sense of self. An employee who spends day after day being belittled or second-guessed begins to question not only their professional worth but their judgment in other areas of life. They wonder if they’re good enough, if their choices matter, if they’re capable of anything at all. Instead of building resilience, fear-based leadership erodes confidence at its very core.
This environment breeds two kinds of responses. Some employees push back in quiet rebellion. Resentment grows, and they may even look for ways (conscious or subconscious) to undermine the very system that has demeaned them. This becomes a form of revenge against the leader who has robbed them of dignity. This reaction is usually reserved for those strong enough to still recognize their own value in spite of criticism.
For those with a more fragile sense of self, the outcome can be far more tragic. The weight of constant fear and pressure can trigger depression, withdrawal, and deep isolation. And in the darkest scenarios, it can push someone to believe they are beyond repair, willing to end their own life because they feel like nothing but a failure.
It isn’t hyperbolic to say that fear-based leadership doesn’t just weaken teams; it can break human beings.
Think of it this way: if people are the heart of any organization, then the cost of fear-based leadership shows up in the declining health of the entire team.
When individuals are broken down, distracted, or disengaged, the organization itself begins to suffer. What starts as personal stress and insecurity quickly translates into missed opportunities, reduced innovation, and ultimately, a decline in overall performance.
Like any broken system, each part begins to affect the other parts, with the damage spiraling out of control quickly. It’s not just about the negative effects of specific individuals; you have to look at the fairness to the entire organization. Is it fair to subject people to that kind of unnecessary stress? Is it fair for employees to feel anxiety about coming in each day? Is it fair to crush creativity and innovation in the name of close-minded perfection?
It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all.
I know of one organization in particular that just keeps reverting back to fear-based leadership. It’s not really the fault of anyone in particular, their leaders just don’t have better information about how they could operate.
The cycle of employment for them lasts anywhere from one day (I’m not joking) to a year. At that point, employees happily quit and walk away, never looking in the rearview for even a second. I remember one year when they lost SIX PEOPLE for one position.
Think of all the training hours wasted. Think of all the projects that are dropped into the lap of someone completely unfamiliar with it because someone else quit. Think of all the progress thrown away because of fear-based leadership. Can you see how costly that is to the organization?
There are probably a thousand different people who would cite a thousand different reasons for why leaders resort to fear-based leadership. But I’ll give you the very root of it: fear within themselves. Just like anyone else, leaders have fears and insecurities. The scariest question of all is, Do I have what it takes—the skills, knowledge, and insight—to get the job done? Instead of taking an honest look at that question with humility and courage, many folks let their ego slam that door shut and focus outward instead, insisting that any problems must be coming from somewhere else.
This inability to be honest with themselves leads to an unwillingness to explore new avenues for success. They are uncreative, get lazy in their patterns, refuse to see the truth about how they are operating, and become fearful that they won’t get the result they think they need.
Why does this happen? Sure, there are some genuinely lazy, uncreative, egotistical people out there who manage to land themselves in leadership roles. More often, it happens when successful individual operators are promoted into management positions but don’t have the necessary skills or aptitude to be a good manager (this is known as the Peter Principle). They may feel insecure and pressured to show good results, which translates into a fear-based leadership style.
But in general, I think it’s fair to say that most folks get to the top by working hard and making meaningful contributions to their team and organization. In fact, I’ve met plenty of dedicated, talented, hardworking leaders who’ve been running at top speed for so long that they simply burn out. They stop taking care of themselves, they are tired, uninspired, and no longer motivated to solve problems creatively. That’s when fear-based leadership tends to rear its ugly head.
Read more about the four types of fear that hold you back here.
I’m going to list some alternatives to fear-based leadership, but I’m not going to get too long-winded about each one. You know why? Because it’s up to those who want to seek out the alternatives to find their way. My way might not work for you, but if you can find out how to deliver on these in your own way, you’ll notice a shift in your organizations’ entire environment and culture.
Trust and Empowerment: giving people ownership and believing in their ability to deliver.
Transparency and Honesty: sharing information openly instead of using secrecy as control.
Empathy and Compassion: leading with humanity, tuning in to how decisions affect people’s lives.
**Servant Leadership**: focusing on how you can support your team’s growth and success.
Collaboration: encouraging voices at the table, co-creating solutions rather than dictating them.
Recognition and Gratitude: showing ongoing appreciation for effort rather than only celebrating wins.
Coaching and Mentorship: building people up through constructive feedback and guidance, not punishment.
Vision-Casting: inspiring people by painting a picture of what’s possible, not just what to avoid.
Psychological Safety: creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up and take risks.
Flexibility and Adaptability: showing that leadership can pivot and innovate, rather than demand rigid obedience.
When you figure out how to incorporate these into your everyday leadership practice, the shift will be palpable, I promise.
This is as important as knowing what practices to embrace. But you have to be mindful about how you shift. Big changes all at once don’t stick. Think of New Year’s resolutions, gym memberships, diets, and the like.
Give yourself time. Lasting change takes time. Focus on small steps you can take in the right direction rather than overwhelming yourself all at once. You might pick a principle a day and focus on how you can incorporate it into your leadership. Or, set up a calendar with attainable goals evenly spread throughout and check each day off as you go.
The key is to focus on what you can do in the next five minutes to get closer to where you want to be. Period. Then worry about the next five minutes, and the five minutes after that.
Fear-based leadership may feel like control in the moment, but it’s really a slow unraveling of trust, creativity, and culture. It harms people at their core, can damage families, and cripples organizations from the inside out. The good news is, it’s not the only path forward.
When leaders choose trust, transparency, compassion, and vision, they stop being part of the problem and start embodying the solution. They build environments where people thrive, where ideas flourish, and where success is measured not by fear-driven compliance, but by genuine commitment and growth.
So here’s my challenge to you: Ask yourself what small step you can take today—just in the next five minutes—to lead differently.
Pick one principle. Try it. Notice the shift. Because leadership doesn’t change overnight, but it does change with intention, and every small act of courage builds momentum.
If this resonated with you, share it with someone who needs the reminder, or leave a comment with your own experiences of leading with vision instead of fear. And, if you want more resources and encouragement like this, consider checking out my new book, Turn Your Fear into Fuel. Together, we can choose to lead better.
Management. On its own, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Management usually carries a positive connotation: things are organized, people are guided, clients are served, and order is maintained. But add one little prefix, and the whole picture changes....
A recent TalentLMS survey of 1,000 U.S. employees revealed that more than half (54%) have experienced quiet cracking in the workplace, with one in five reporting it happens to them frequently or even constantly. I read that statistic and had to pause. I had heard of...
If a fear is unspoken, can it really be that big of a problem? The truth is, unspoken fears probably account for more problems in the workplace than those that are openly discussed. The ones that are talked about can be brought into the light, managed, and attended...
Fear has a way of telling convincing stories, but they aren’t always truthful. In fact, according to multiple studies on anxiety and overthinking, as many as 85% of the things we are afraid of never happen. Imagine what your life would be like if you had known your...
“The scarcest resource in the world is not oil, it’s leadership.”
As Co-CEO of the largest independent financal services company in North America, John Addison’s skill as a leader was tested and honed daily. He retired in 2015 after taking the company and it’s people to massive heights. He’s just not done helping people get to the top. Today, he’s at the helm of Addison Leadership Group, INC working daily to mentor and educate new leaders.
0 Comments