Are You Afraid of Being Known as a Leader?

Throughout the personal branding consultations and workshop facilitations that I undertake with my clients, one common theme comes up and that is people’s hesitation at being recognised as a leader in their field. I noticed that more than a few people hesitate because they don’t want to come across as though they are bragging or showing off. I also noticed that this was particularly prevalent, but not exclusive to, women. There’s a certain unspoken fear of being known as a leader which makes people uncomfortable with that label.

So when I came across this piece on Management Today I decided to look at the original research summary from the University of Michigan’s Dr Julia Lee Cunningham, to find out what the three key fears were - which are all rooted in reputation and perception. 

People are worried that they are unqualified to be known as leaders - which is interesting because anyone can be a leader. A leader does not require qualifications as it is more to with the principles of influencing, relationship building and guiding people as opposed to a structured system which leans into management. Another reason that people are afraid of being known as a leader is because it would make them stand out and most people do not want to be seen as different. This resonates with the conversations I have had with personal branding clients who after years of “fitting in” have found themselves stifled by the inability to truly express their uniqueness. 

The fear of being seen as bossy or domineering is the third fear and again this seems to come up frequently for women that I work with, especially Black women who already have a vast number of negative labels and perceptions attached to them by society. Very few people want to be seen as bossy and this limits their desire to be called a leader.

So how can we overcome this fear of being known as a leader? Positive reinforcements help; reminding people about the good that can come from being a leader in any space that we are in. I talk about this in my video:

But also being clear about the ability to learn how to lead as opposed to it “coming natural”; if we can provide spaces for people to feel free to lead within their communities and work spaces we can encourage more people to see leadership as something worthwhile rather than something risky and uncomfortable. 

Being a leader does take courage but it is worth it in  the long term. The world needs more bold and daring leaders who go against the status quo particularly when we consider how many marginalised voices are silenced and undermined.