Leadership Horizons

Leading Through Fear and Anxiety

• Lois Burton • Episode 20

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Fear isn't just an inevitable part of organizational change—it's a powerful indicator of what matters most to your team. Drawing from over two decades of executive coaching experience, I take you through the psychology of workplace anxiety and reveal why our brains interpret changing processes as potential threats.

The heart of this episode introduces my CALM framework—a practical, human-centered approach that transformational leaders use to guide teams through uncertainty. 

You'll discover why transparency about incomplete information builds more trust than waiting for perfect answers, and why acknowledging emotions creates the psychological safety necessary for adaptation. Through real-world examples from manufacturing and financial services, I demonstrate how these principles create resilience rather than resistance.

Most leaders make the critical mistake of trying to eliminate anxiety during change, but I'll show you why some anxiety is actually productive and how to recognize when it crosses into destructive territory. You'll learn to read the warning signs—like when questions stop, conflicts increase, or performance drops beyond the expected learning curve. The most profound shift happens when you begin seeing fear not as something to overcome, but as valuable information about your team's core values and needs. Behind every anxious employee is a human being who wants to contribute, succeed, and feel secure. When you lead with this understanding, fear transforms from a barrier into fuel for collective growth. What fears might your team be harboring that could actually point the way toward your next breakthrough?

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Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome back to Leadership Horizons, where we explore leadership at its most transformative. I'm Lois Burton, an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Specialist who's been working with senior leaders in executive teams for over 24 years. Today we're diving into one of the most critical leadership challenges I encounter in my coaching practice managing the fear and anxiety in your team when working practices and processes are changing. And, let's be honest, in today's world, change isn't the exception, it's the constant. So let's start with a fundamental truth Fear during change is completely normal. When working practices and processes shift, our brains interpret this as a threat to our survival. It's hardwired into us. Your team members might be thinking will I be able to learn the new systems? Will my role become redundant? Is AI going to take over? Will I still be valued? These aren't irrational fears. They're human responses to uncertainty. Now, in my work with executive teams, I've identified four core strategies that transformational leaders use to manage fear and anxiety during change. I call them the CALM framework. You know I love my acronyms. So the CALM framework is clarify, acknowledge, lead by example and mobilize support.

Speaker 1:

First of all, let's talk about clarify. Fear thrives in the absence of information. I've met with many leaders who think they're being kind by keeping changes vague or delayed until they have all the answers. But here's the thing your team is already sensing the change. They're reading between the lines, interpreting your energy and often imagining scenarios far worse than the reality. In one of our previous episodes I talked about the fact that fear thrives in a vacuum and rumors thrive in a vacuum. So, as a leader, your job is to share what you know, when you know it, even if it's incomplete. Be transparent about what's changing, why it's changing and what you don't yet know. I remember working with a manufacturing director who was implementing new protocols. Instead of waiting until every detail was finalized, he held weekly sessions saying here's what we know this week, here's what we're still figuring out and here's when we'll know more. That transparency became a real foundation of trust.

Speaker 1:

The second element is acknowledge. This is where many leaders stumble. They want to be positive, to rally the troops, so they skip right past the fear and go straight to the benefits of change. But you cannot lead people through an emotion they're not allowed to feel. I always tell the leaders I coach, name it, tame it, say something like I know this change feels overwhelming right now. I know some of you are worried about learning new systems or whether your skills will transfer. These feelings are completely valid and I want you to know that we're going to work through this together. When you acknowledge fear, you're not amplifying it. You're normalizing it and creating space for people to move beyond it.

Speaker 1:

Thirdly, lead by example. Your team is watching you constantly during change. They're looking for cues about how scared they should be. If you're projecting anxiety, micromanaging or avoiding difficult conversations, they'll mirror that energy. I've learned this from my own experience, transitioning from corporate leadership roles to finding my consultancy in 2000.

Speaker 1:

The uncertainty was real. I didn't know if clients would trust me, if I could build a sustainable business, if I had the right skills. But I had to model the confidence and resilience I wanted to see in my team and in my clients. This doesn't mean pretending you have no concerns. It means demonstrating how to hold both uncertainty and optimism simultaneously. Share your own learning journey. Let them see you asking questions, making mistakes and adapting. You know I've talked so much about adaptive intelligence and this is part of it. When they see you embracing the change as a growth opportunity, they'll start to do the same.

Speaker 1:

Finally, mobilize support. Fear isolates people. They start to believe they're the only ones struggling, the only ones who don't understand, the only ones who might not make it through the change. Your job is to break that isolation, create formal and informal opportunities for people to connect, share concerns and support each other. I've seen leaders and worked with leaders to establish buddy systems, peer learning groups and even mistake parties, where people share their mistakes and lessons learned without judgment. One of my favorite examples comes from a financial services client who was implementing a new customer management system. Instead of just providing technical training, the leadership team created change champions, volunteers from each department who became peer supporters. These weren't managers or trainers. They were colleagues who committed to helping others navigate the transition. The result was that fear was diminished and transformed into collective problem solving. So let me share something crucial I've learned through two decades of coaching leaders through change.

Speaker 1:

The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety. It's to channel it productively. Some anxiety is actually helpful during change. It keeps people alert, engaged and motivated to develop new skills. It keeps people alert, engaged and motivated to develop new skills. The problem comes when anxiety becomes paralyzing rather than energizing. Here are three warning signs that fear has moved from productive to destructive in your team. First, when people stop asking questions. This usually means they're afraid of looking incompetent or slowing things down. Second, when you notice increased conflicts or blame between team members. Fear often gets projected outward as frustration with colleagues or other departments. Third, when performance drops significantly beyond what you'd expect during a normal learning curve. This suggests that people are spending more energy managing their anxiety than learning new skills. If you're seeing these signs, it's time to slow down and reconnect with your team's emotional experience of the change.

Speaker 1:

Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with a powerful reframe. Instead of seeing fear as something to overcome, see it as information. Fear tells you what matters to people. It tells you what they value, what they're worried about losing and what support they need. When someone expresses anxiety about new technology, they're telling you they value competence and don't want to let the team down. When someone worries about change reporting structures, they're telling you that relationships and clarity matter to them. When you listen to fear as information rather than resistance, you can address the real needs underneath.

Speaker 1:

Remember transformational leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating the conditions where people can find their own courage, develop new capabilities and move forward together despite uncertainty. The leaders I've worked with, who excel at managing fear during change, all share one quality they remember that behind every anxious employee is a human being who wants to contribute, succeed and feel secure. When you lead with that understanding, fear becomes fuel for growth rather than a barrier to progress. Standing fear becomes fuel for growth rather than a barrier to progress. That's all for today's episode of Leadership Horizons. If this resonated with you, I'd love to hear how you're supporting your team through change. You can reach out to me through our website or social media. Next week, we'll be exploring another crucial leadership topic, so make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, keep pushing those leadership boundaries. Remember the future of leadership knows no bounds. I'm Lois Burton, and thank you for joining me on Leadership Horizons.