The foremost of the values: Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for, upon it all, others depend.” The systematic development of the deep-down quality of unflinching courage is one of the fundamentals for leadership. Fear, or lack of courage, is more responsible for failure in management and in life than any other factor. It is fear that causes people to hold back, sell themselves short, settle for far less than they are capable of!

Eliminate fear and doubt: I firmly believe that you can do, have or be far more than you now know, if only you could eliminate the fear, doubts and misgivings that consciously and unconsciously interfere with your realizing your full potential.

Unlearn your fears: If there is anything positive about fear, it is that fears are learned, that no one is born with fears, and that, having been learned, they can be unlearned. If you want to understand the role of fear in shaping your life, just ask yourself, if you had a magic wand that would guarantee you success in anything you attempted, what goal would you set for yourself.

The great question: “What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail?” If you had no fears regarding money or the criticism of others, what would you do differently? Most people can think of all kinds of changes they would, or could, make in their lives if they had no fears to hold them back.

The origins of fears: The development of courage begins with understanding the psychological origins of fear. The newborn child has only two fears: that of falling and that of loud noises. All other fears that we experience as adults are learned as we are growing up, primarily as the result of well-meaning but destructive criticism from our parents.

How fears develop: When the curious child gets into things and makes a mess, the parent scolds and punishes the child, eventually building up a pattern of fear connected with trying or getting into anything new or different. As adults, we experience this as the fear of failure, of risking, of making a mistake, of losing.

Action exercises: First, imagine you had no fears at all. What would you set as a goal for yourself if you were guaranteed success? Second, decide exactly what you want and then act as if it were impossible to fall. You may be surprised at how successful you are…