LEADERSHIP
WARRIORS WORRIERS
NOT
TO BECOME AWORTHWHILE LEADER, YOUNEED TO FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY. SORCHA CORCORANREPORTS
One of the main skills needed by today’s owner managers is the ability to take on the worry of their people so they can get on with their jobs – and be “warriors, not worriers”. This is according to Michael Comyn,CEO of The Fearless
Organisation,who adopts a similar approach with clients of his fledgling business Fly Fearless. Set up in August 2009, Fly Fearless offers courses for those
who have a fear of flying or are reluctant to fly and so far has helped 316 people. A pilot himself, Comyn asks people taking part in the Fly
Fearless programme to hand over all of their worry to him. “I went up recently with seven people afraid of flying and felt inc- redibly responsible for them. I basically take on the contract to do all the worrying for themfor the two hours they’re in the air or taking part in a flight simulation.When they say they want to get off I ask them whether they trust me. “Fear of flying can develop very suddenly, but fortunately it
can also be overcome just as quickly.The Fly Fearless work- shop arms aerophobics with information about what is hap- pening at each stage, from take off to landing; prepares them with coping techniques to feel more in control of the situation; and explains the physical causes of anxiety.” In the same way as Comyn explains to clients what is actu-
ally happening during a flight, rather than highlighting the negative things that could happen, owner managers need to think the same way about how they run their businesses, he says. “Reality testing at a societal level is under attack.The top of
the list of priorities for ownermanagers is to have a duty of care towards staff that requires them to show leadership.They have
22 OWNER MANAGER VOL 3 ISSUE 4 2010
to be the rock, the person who provides the reality testing for employees. I think we need to go back to Peter Drucker’s tra- ditional definition of management, which is to plan, organise andmotivate staff.During theCeltic tiger we lost sight of those skills,” says Comyn. “Let’s not listen to doom and gloom, but rather dust our-
selves off and develop and grow our businesses. I check daily now on what’s happening in other economies, looking at posi- tive stories, and my diary for September and October is busier than it was this time last year.” The decision to establish Fly Fearless epitomises Comyn’s
overall attitude to fear and the current business environment. “Businesspeople listening to the likes of JoeDuffy have been
getting themselves into a frenzy.This is borrowed fear, and can lead to people having panic attacks over business issues and lying awake worrying about credit terms or the potential of los- ing a big contract,” he says. “Fear is a really important characteristic as it keeps us safe,
but what’s unique about the human condition is that we gen- erate anxiety about something that hasn’t already happened,” he says. Comyn cites neurologist Dr Robert Sapolsky’s book Why
Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers in explaining how we need to under- stand our relationship with fear and worry. “In the face of real danger, human beings are fantastic, sud-
denly having the ability to pull a child out of a burning build- ing.The problemis we release the same amount of adrenalin at the possibility of being phoned by the bank manager as a zebra being chased by a lion.That is where stress comes from.Zebras don’t wander the savannahs of Africa anticipating their own
BUT ACCORDING TOMICHAEL COMYNIF YOU’RE
INTHE FACE OF SUCHDOOMAND GLOOM, BUSINESS OWNERS CANEASILY BECOME PANICKY ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.
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