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Laughing at Fear

I love the movie Hoosiers and love all the Rocky movies of course, but Secretariat may be my favorite film of all time. And, as far as scenes go, nothing beats Big Red making the final turn in Belmont Park. A narrator breaks the silence: “He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing. He will not shy away from the sword. He will not stand still when the trumpet sounds.” Her voice fades to the sound of Secretariat’s hooves thundering the dirt, on his way to a 31 length victory. 

I cry every time. 
Let me set the scene for you.
June 9, 1973. Belmont Park. Nearly 70,000 people in attendance to witness history. Secretariat had already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. One race stood between him and the first Triple Crown in 25 years, but nobody knew what was really coming.
When the gates opened, Big Red, typically a come from behind type horse, ran side by side with his rival Sham through the first half mile. The pace was much faster than experts of the time expected. When most guessed Secretariat would fade at the longer distance, the exact opposite happened. He exploded and began to run not only faster, but freer. Ron Turcotte, his jockey, later said he never asked him for more. He simply let him run.
By the final turn, the question was no longer whether Secretariat would win. The question was by how much. He crossed the finish line 31 lengths ahead of the second-place horse, Sham. That’s a 253 feet win in a record time of 2:24 that still stands today. 
Secretariat ran like he had nothing to protect and nothing to lose. There is no better place to perform, or lead, from.
Why Should We Care?
Fear is the most common performance killer in leadership, and it almost never looks like what we think it should. It usually shows up as hesitation disguised as wisdom. It shows up as over managing, over explaining, and over hedging. We wait a little longer than necessary, pull back a little sooner than needed, and stay safely inside a lane that's a little narrower than it has to be.
Fear-based leadership is exhausting. Not just for the leader, but for everyone around them. People can feel when their leader lacks the confidence to go for it, even when the leader can't. It changes the temperature of the room and lowers the ceiling of what a team believes is possible.
Laughing at fear isn't the absence of awareness. It's the presence of something stronger.
The leaders worth following are the ones who have developed something inside them that is more powerful than the fear. It’s certainty. Conviction. When it's truly present, fear doesn't disappear, it just stops driving.
Your team is running at the pace you set. If you're holding back, so are they. If you're hesitating, so are they. If you're managing your risk instead of running your race, so are they. Your posture is contagious in both directions.
Fear is coming. The question is do you have an anchor strong enough that you can laugh at it?
REAL TALK - Action Steps
Confronting fear with a smile takes deep work and intentional practice. Here are a few steps along that path:

• Name It to Tame It 
  
  • What internal fear is limiting your leadership right now? Fear of failure? Fear of what people think? Fear of making the wrong call? You don't have to share the answer with anyone. You do have to know it and name it. What you refuse to name, you can't address. What you can't address, you can't overcome. Get specific and be honest.
    

• Advantage to the Bold
  
  • Fear doesn't always announce itself, it just quietly slows you down. Are you waiting because the timing isn't right, or are you waiting because you’re afraid? If it's the latter, make the move. Leadership that waits for certainty rarely gets there. The advantage always favors the bold.
    

• Reach Up, Not Just Out
  
  • The leaders who consistently operate without fear-based hesitation are not fearless. They’re deeply rooted in the purpose, people, and standard they've committed to. What belief is inside you right now that is larger than your fear? It's what allows each of us to run free.
    

“He laughs at fear” because he has already decided who he is and how he's going to run. The most impactful people, and powerful leaders, in any room have made the same decision. Not once, but daily.
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