The Fearful

In this blog, I am going to talk about “the fearful”. 

I hope you are doing well and staying safe out there. I have been dealing with this topic a lot recently, and I want to share some thoughts with you.

First, some feedback I received: someone wrote to me about how much they appreciate the training materials, videos, and mentoring resources we provide. They said our videos were like a free college course they could revisit over and over again. Hearing that makes me grateful, because the goal has always been to equip people with tools they can actually use to grow themselves and elevate their teams.

Now onto today’s topic. This may come across strongly, but it’s important. People who are consistently fearful in your organization are not necessarily the most dangerous, but they are some of the most dangerous. Let me explain.

We all have fragile egos. Some of us avoid mistakes and excuses because of fear. Some learn and grow. Some take control. Others are to blame. The difference is that fear, when it becomes someone’s consistent mode of operation, creates avoidance, excuses, blame, withdrawal, procrastination, and hiding from responsibility.

Fearful people tend to worry excessively, seek constant reassurance, catastrophize small problems, and freeze under pressure. This isn’t just inconvenient, it’s dangerous. They withhold information, disconnect from teams, fail to act, and when safety is at stake, this becomes critical.

I have seen both sides. In my own career, when I was new at DPR, I had to snap out of fear or I would have failed. Some tough words from mentors helped me stand tall and push through. But I’ve also seen people who retreat further when confronted. Coaching, therapy, and support can help, but if someone cannot step out of fear, we must at least put them in roles where they do not endanger the team.

This is not about discarding people. It is about recognizing that consistent fear-driven behavior undermines transparency, safety, and teamwork. If we want strong teams, we must learn how to support people in moving past fear while ensuring that their behavior doesn’t paralyze the group.

Fearful people will hurt you if left unchecked. The challenge for us as leaders is to help them, coach them, and place them wisely.

On we go.

Key Takeaway
Fear-driven behavior creates excuses, avoidance, and hidden risks. Leaders must support people in overcoming fear while ensuring they are not in roles where their paralysis and lack of transparency can harm the team.