Have you ever worked for or tried to lead with someone who maintains high levels of apprehension? Perhaps you have had the experience of a paralyzed team because of one or more people who worried. I know I have. I remember situations where stayed stuck because of members who were constantly apprehensive.

Apprehension is the amount of worrying, fretting, strain, and uneasiness leaders take in. It is about the amount to which they beat themselves up over things they cannot control. It is the fear of uncertainty. Successful leaders and managers keep their levels of apprehension low.

Apprehension is also about how leaders identify and respond to issues that could cause them to worry and fret. Good leaders have the ability to see issues and challenges in perspective. They are able to lose too much sleep over things they cannot control.

Why is it important? Too much apprehension and worry disrupt a leader’s effectiveness. Effective leaders and managers keep issues and challenges in perspective. They do not lose too much sleep over things that they cannot control. Their apprehension also affects others in the environment. High levels of apprehension are contagious and spread throughout the team.

Effective leaders also worry little about what others think or say. This is not helpful or productive and it drains one’s physical and emotional energy.

Leaders with low apprehension levels:

Handle criticism and challenges without becoming defensive or protective.
Stay aware of what others are saying, but, pursue the consistent priorities in line with goals.
Focus energy on achieving goals and avoid distractions from things they cannot control.
Stay open and honest rather than jumping to being protective or defensive.

If you have trouble with this skill, then your leadership success and the performance of your organization will suffer. If you want to be a great or even good leader, you need to be skilled in this area.

This is one of the attributes of leadership included in The Lions Leader Manager Assessment. Ray Hoskins and Associates uses this assessment. It helps our clients assess their leadership competencies. We then work with clients to help them identify which changes they can make to lead, and indeed, live more effectively. It does all begin with knowing yourself.