Have you found yourself suddenly involved in a conversation or altercation that you later regret? Do you have subconscious fears that you got there?
You may pride yourself on being level-headed and focused on collaboratively solving problems, but some monster just took over your brain, and you said some things you later regret. You are left confused as to how you got into this situation, and you feel the shame of guilt of losing your way. Don’t hang your head too low because all leaders have had subconscious fears at some point in their career – and usually more than once.
The source of these zombie takeovers is subconscious fears – fears that we don’t even know we possess. Early life experiences connect these fears, and they reside in our mid-brain as programs to keep us safe. Think back on the last time your brain got hijacked into a cringe-worthy response. Did you notice that just prior to your response, your breath shortened, your muscles tightened, your shoulders rose, and your heartbeat accelerated? Probably not. We aren’t usually aware of these changes as they happen at lightning speed. Then, instead of using that physiological response to run or punch someone, we decide to stand our ground and fight with our tongues. And that tongue-lashing can be just as damaging as our fists.
