Do you feel AFRAID when identifying yourself as a leader?

Source: Harvard Business Review

Authors:

Julia Lee Cunningham – Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Laura Sonday – Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Susan (Sue) Ashford – Michael and Susan Jandernoa Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Studies have shown that considering oneself a leader is an important first step on the path to acting as a leader. However, many individuals are uncomfortable identifying themselves as leaders. What drives this reluctance? While there are various influencing factors, recent research by the authors highlights the role of the fear of reputation in preventing individuals from seeing themselves as leaders.

Specifically, they found that the fear of being seen as authoritarian, different, or not up to standard hinders many people in various work and educational environments from being identified as leaders. Thus, making them less likely to take on leadership responsibilities or be seen as leaders by others. Experts have also identified strategies that managers can use to mitigate the negative impact of these fears. These include leadership models with fewer risks and negative biases, as well as leadership skills that can be acquired through speech and action. Leadership is a skill that anyone can develop, not an innate ability.

When it comes to leadership, self-identification is crucial. Research has shown that seeing oneself as a leader is an important first step on the path to becoming an authentic leader. Reluctance to self-identify as a leader can hinder those with the capability from assuming leadership responsibilities. So, why do people often feel uncomfortable thinking of themselves as leaders?

Obviously, there are several influencing factors, but previous research has shown that concerns about reputation can play a significant role in deterring individuals from actively pursuing their goals in the workplace. Therefore, experts have been concerned about whether the perceived risk to oneself can have a similar impact on one’s identity as a leader or whether it makes them less likely to lead. To explore this question, experts conducted a series of studies involving over 1,700 participants, including full-time employees, MBA students, and US Air Force trainees, and consistently found that higher fears of these reputation risks were associated with lower self-identification as a leader.

Specifically, the experts identified three common fears that prevent people from identifying themselves as leaders:

Fear of being authoritarian

Many participants expressed concerns about being perceived as dictatorial, autocratic, or authoritarian if they took on a leadership role. As one interviewee stated: “I don’t want to come across as self-important or exploit [those who are] weaker. I don’t want to come across as cold.” Interestingly, while there are many articles discussing the use of negative terms like “bossy” to describe female leaders, experts found that in their studies, both men and women fear being labeled in this way.

Fear of being different

The second common concern is that taking on a leadership role will lead to isolation and receiving too much attention for being different from others—even when that attention is positive. One participant explained: “I don’t want to be worshipped or idolized. I feel comfortable leading, but at the same time, I also want to be on the same level as everyone else.” Many people worry that becoming a leader will require sacrificing a sense of belonging within a group.

Fear of not being up to standard

Regardless of whether they actually feel adequate, many survey participants said they were worried that others would see them as unsuitable for a leadership role. As one participant shared: “I know people usually associate men with leadership roles, so that makes me a bit uncomfortable. I worry that if I try to pursue a leadership role in my field, people won’t take me seriously.”

Clearly, these fears can be very real experiences, especially for underrepresented groups like women and people of color. However, whether these fears are justified or not, what’s important is understanding their impact on how we perceive ourselves. And in their studies, experts found that those who reported higher levels of fear about these reputation risks were less likely to self-identify as leaders. As a result, they were less likely to take on a leadership role and less likely to be seen as leaders by their supervisors.

At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive. Why would awareness of risk influence something that goes so deep into one’s identity? However, from a psychological perspective, this effect is not surprising. No one enjoys thinking of themselves as fearful, and leadership often comes with significant challenges. Therefore, when pursuing leadership carries risks, people redefine their identity from the subconscious to justify avoiding it. It’s much more comfortable to rationalize not wanting to lead by telling oneself “I’m not a leader” than admitting to being afraid of what others might think.

Research also revealed some psychological interventions that managers can employ to reduce the likelihood and impact of these fears, encouraging more people to become leaders. First, research suggests that perceptions of reputation risk can be influenced. In one study, experts found that participants who listened to a podcast that framed leadership as low-risk were less likely to desire to become leaders compared to those who listened to a podcast framing leadership as high-risk. This suggests that by presenting leadership as less risky (for example, by clarifying that leadership mistakes won’t be career-ending blunders), managers can help employees feel more comfortable identifying themselves as leaders.

Additionally, managers can take steps to explicitly address employees’ concerns about their reputation. It can be understood that people wouldn’t want to be associated with a rigid description of being dictatorial, different, or not up to standard. Organizations must demonstrate through words and actions that anyone can be a leader and that assuming a leadership role will be viewed positively.

Of course, no intervention will completely eliminate the fear of reputation. A survey with MBA consulting groups helped experts identify a strategy that managers can use to limit the negative impact of these fears: experts found that when students viewed leadership capability as a learnable skill, greater perceived reputation risk led to less self-identification as a leader. This might be because those who perceive leadership as a skill that can be developed might be more comfortable with experiencing failure, while those with a fixed mindset might think that any mistake as a leader would permanently damage their reputation, and thus, they simply don’t intend to lead. Therefore, managers can reduce the impact of reputation concerns by making it clear that leadership is not an innate trait. This means providing employees with guidance and opportunities to develop leadership skills, acknowledging progress in developing these skills (even when results aren’t entirely positive), and openly sharing stories of both leadership failures and successes.

As author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer compellingly put it: “Leadership is a concept that many of us resist. It seems to connote egoism, self-aggrandizement, and self-promotion—qualities we struggle to avoid. But if we understand that we are all created for community, then leadership is everyone’s vocation, and it can be an evasion of our responsibility to shy away from it. When we live in a community, we all follow someone.” Establishing a culture that honors the role of leadership and makes it truly accessible, regardless of gender, race, age, or other identity characteristics, can help individuals feel more comfortable when seeing themselves—and acting—as leaders. You can explore further content on leadership and building a leadership brand on the metta.com.vn website or contact phung.metta@metta.com.vn for discussion and consultation.

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