THE FEARLESS MANIFESTO:

Operating on the edge of chaos seems to typify our world.

Every news item, every dinner table conversation, every moment grabbed with colleagues - the craziness is unavoidable. Without question it’s the most perplexing* time I’ve ever lived through. Surpassing even the (daily) nuclear war headlines when I was growing up. I had fear then. I’ve learned to channel it now.

Somehow, grabbing back the levers of our own destiny doesn’t seem so simple anymore. So, getting comfortable with fear is mandatory. It’s especially true if you plan on being fulfilled or leading a business anywhere. The opportunity with fear is how you channel it.

“Let’s face it. Fear is present in everything - walking along the street, the meeting going wrong, breaking a relationship with someone we meet or need to know. Every choice we make.”

the tyranny of choice

Choices are tough when the calculations we have to make are based on ‘facts’ that change every minute. Basing choices on wanting certainty is wrong - the only certain part of it is the potential for disaster. Being brilliant at developing better hunches ensures valuable preparation for the uncertain future.

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” - Nelson Mandela

Leaders tend to feel they need to have all the answers rather than saying they don’t. Often the expert in the room is the one saying let’s see, or we need to figure it out together - anything but here’s the answer because we are all fearing the uncertainty. Winners know one thing - chaos is the essential part of the creative process. Randomness fuels the fearlessness. You can’t hold fear if you intend to get through it. The unknown creates essential chaos. Chaos is required to force innovative thinking.

comfort with chaos

Be comfortable with experimentation and ambiguity. It fires our imagination. Our imagination cannot be allowed to be swallowed up by fear. The creative process, however fearful and random it may appear is the process that unlocks the results we need. Embrace it. Don’t establish a fixed process to deal with the creative process or your plans for the future. Surround yourselves with people who thrive on chaos and have learned to channel their fear.