Most kids battle childhood fears.

Fear of the dark, the closet, strangers, loud noises at night, monsters and ghosts, etc. Growing up in Saginaw, our three-bedroom ranch had a menacing room in the basement we called: “The furnace room.” Back in those days furnaces were huge monstrosities with pipes protruding out everywhere that made all kinds of loud and spooky noises. I was petrified of the furnace room as a youngster.

Fortunately, most of us outgrow our childhood fears. Yet if we’re honest, adults tend to trade childhood fears for more adult-sized phobias: The fear of not having enough money; the fear of failure; the fear of losing someone we love; the fear of what other people think of us; the fear of mortality, etc.

Leaders tend to have a very specific set of fears:

• The fear of failure
• The fear of not having enough
• The fear of other people’s opinions of their work ethic
• The fear of losing their job

We’ll never totally eliminate fear this side of heaven. In fact, some fear is healthy. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, in his book, Face your Fear writes: “Caution is an intelligent response to a real threat. Fear is a hysterical response to an imagined one. Caution alerts us to potential danger and can protect us. Fear creates its own illusion of danger and holds us hostage.”

I’m not writing about caution today. I’m writing about unhealthy fear. The kind of fear that drives us to overcommit and overschedule. The kind that hooks us on people pleasing. The kind that leads to us doing stupid stuff.

I spent the first thirteen years of pastoral ministry operating out of subconscious, unhealthy fear. And it almost cost me my life. For most of us, the negative impact of fear won’t be quite as dramatic, but it will end up coloring your decisions, affecting how you respond to people, impacting your calendar priorities, and influencing your marriage/family life.

Here are three surprising ways fear damages our leadership:

Fear leads to poor decision making

In the Garden of Eden, the fear God was holding out on them compelled Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Bad move. The fear of being left out distorted their thinking and resulted in a terrible decision of cosmic proportions. Not all fear-based decisions leaders make have such devastating consequences, but they are usually poor decisions they end up regretting.

Fear prevents us from reaching our potential

In Matthew 25:25, Jesus told a parable about three men who were given varying amounts of money by their boss. The expectation was they would invest the money and bring a return. Two of the three invested well, and gained a nice profit. The third dude didn’t get with the program. When the boss returned and asked for an accounting of what he did with the money, his reply: “I was afraid so I hid your talent (money) in the ground.” Fear can paralyze a leader. It produces a pattern of indecision, an inability to tolerate risk at any level. And if we let fear have its way, when we get to the end of our life—we’ll look back with regret about what could have been if fear wasn’t in charge. Fear is a destiny-stealer.

Fear causes us to overcommit

It has become clear to me that workaholism is to a large degree fear-based. I used to regularly overcommit due to fear of losing my job. Fear of not having enough. Fear others would deem me lazy. Fear pushes leaders into biting off more than they can chew. What is driving your calendar… really?  Is it God-given passion for your work? Or unhealthy fear? Or perhaps, a mixture? Regardless of your answer, unhealthy fear is a stronghold that needs demolishing if you desire a healthy, long-term leadership run. Fortunately, you don’t have to demolish it all by yourself.

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (NIV) Thankfully, God can help us overcome fear’s paralyzing hold. Spending alone time with Him in prayer, praise, and reading Scripture helps us put our fears in perspective.

We will always have some fear trying to control us. Totally eliminating it is likely impossible. But dismantling its grip on us is possible. It takes effort, dependence on God, practice, and often the help of trusted friends. Overcoming fear is a lot of work. But here’s the good news: When fear loses its grip on you, everything in your leadership life gets better. You’ll get healthier. You’ll be more productive for God. You’ll make better decisions.  Your relationships will flourish.

I want to challenge you to draw a line in the leadership sand. To decide you’ll no longer allow fear to damage your life and your leadership. Put fear where it belongs: under your feet.

I’m rooting and praying for you!