Why leadership triggers fear, and how to handle it

Almost every new leader will at some moment think some version of: “I thought I was ready, but what if I’m not good enough for this level of responsibility?”

Fear doesn’t come from incompetence or weakness. It comes from a shift in responsibility. As an individual contributor, success depended largely on your own performance. As a leader, your decisions now affect others, their work, judgement, motivation, and sometimes even their careers. That transition changes the psychological load of the job, and your nervous system reacts accordingly.

Fear is not a problem

A healthy dose of fear is not only normal—it is useful. It signals that you understand what is at stake. The goal, therefore, is not to eliminate fear, but to rationalize and manage it through a structured approach. The keyword here is healthy. When fear becomes paralyzing, its root causes must be addressed.

What leaders are actually afraid of

Leadership fear tends to show up in predictable forms. Most of it stems from self-doubt driven by false beliefs, or from fear of failure caused by a real or perceived lack of competence.

New leaders often struggle with impostor syndrome, the belief that others are more suited for the role, more credible, or more legitimate. They assume everyone else has it figured out, while they are somehow the exception.

At the same time, many leaders fear not meeting expectations because they believe they lack certain competencies. They fear criticism, reputational damage, or being remembered as a bad leader. They fear missed career opportunities due to mistakes. They fear pushback from their team, conflict, disagreement, and the potential loss of authority.

More often than not, these fears are irrational. And because they are rarely spoken out loud, they quietly drive cautious behavior, over-preparation, and a reluctance to make decisions under uncertainty.

How to keep fear in check

Step 1: Be specific about your fears

Vagueness creates stress and emotional noise. Statements like “I’m stressed” or “This makes me uncomfortable” are not helpful. Be precise. Take a pen and paper and start listing your fears as clearly as possible. Ask sharper questions like: "What conversation am I postponing because of fear?", "What reaction from my team or manager am I most afraid of?", "What mistake am I most afraid of making in this role?", or "What loss am I afraid this role could cause me (reputation, trust, authority, opportunity)?"

Once fear is named, it becomes something you can work with, rather than something that silently shapes your behavior.

Step 2: Have someone challenge your beliefs

Once you have written down your fears, don’t analyze them in isolation. Fear distorts perspective, especially when you are new to leadership. What feels like a realistic fear is often a mix of assumption, imagination, and incomplete information.

When stepping into a leadership role for the first time, it is difficult to know what is actually expected of you and what you are merely assuming. The same applies to competence: without prior exposure, it is hard to judge whether something is truly beyond your capability or simply unfamiliar.

That is why an honest, psychologically safe conversation with a peer or mentor is essential. The purpose is not reassurance, but calibration. You want someone who can help you reality-check your fears against lived experience and clarify what the role truly demands.

You do not need to present your fears directly. Instead, work around them by asking grounded, experience-based questions such as: "How did you deal with conflict in this role?", "What kinds of mistakes did you make early on, and what were the actual consequences?" or "What did you underestimate when you first became a leader?"

Through these conversations, your peer or mentor helps you test the assumptions behind your fear. In many cases, you will discover that what feels threatening is neither exceptional nor career-ending. Most leadership fears rest on assumptions that do not hold up under scrutiny, such as the belief that leaders must have all the answers, that they are not allowed to fail, or that mistakes inevitably destroy credibility.

Step 3: Come up with a plan

Finally, conduct an honest assessment. Which fears were based on false or irrational beliefs? And where do you genuinely have blind spots or lack specific competencies?

Treat those "competency gaps" pragmatically. Do not label them as personal shortcomings, they are simply part of the transition from being an expert to becoming a leader. So turn each "gap" into a deliberate learning objective. Be specific. Instead of “get better at managing conflict,” define actions such as enrolling in a training, seeking feedback after difficult conversations etc.

You will not master every required competency before starting, and that's OK. What matters is that you know what you are working on and how you intend to develop it. That clarity reduces background anxiety and replaces it with forward momentum. A plan shifts fear from something vague and looming into something actionable and finite and as progress becomes visible, confidence follows.

And remember: a healthy dose of fear is not a weakness. It is often a clear sign that you understand the responsibility you’ve accepted, and that you are approaching leadership with the seriousness it deserves.