Adventures in Riverside

The Adventures in Riverside fables are designed to highlight real-life leadership challenges and opportunities through the lens of fictional characters navigating the dynamic world of city government.Set in the vibrant city of Riverside, these stories explore the complexities of leadership—from managing team dynamics to making tough decisions that impact the community.While any resemblance to real people or situations is unintentional, I encourage you to reflect on your own experiences and consider the lessons these fables present.The goal is to inspire breakthroughs in leadership performance by offering relatable scenarios that spark insight, self-awareness, and practical action.

The Fear of Looking Incompetent

11/12/2024
Read Time: 1:38

In The Confidence Code, authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman explore how fear of failure or appearing foolish can hold us back from speaking up or taking risks. They emphasize that true confidence comes from being willing to make mistakes and learn from them, rather than avoiding opportunities out of fear of looking incompetent.Here’s a leadership parable inspired by this concept of overcoming the fear of looking foolish.

Eli Turner sat silently at the weekly strategy meeting, listening as his colleagues debated the best approach for a public information campaign. Eli knew the importance of clarity and transparency, but an idea he had lingered in his mind, unspoken.“What if they think it’s dumb?” Eli thought to himself. The conversation continued, but the knot in his stomach grew tighter. He had seen this before—every time he hesitated, the fear of looking dumb held him back from contributing his perspective.Finally, Eli’s colleague, Talia Reed, noticed his quietness. “Eli, you’ve been pretty quiet. What do you think?”Eli hesitated but then spoke: “Well, I was thinking, what if we use local influencers to help explain the more technical parts of the campaign? People who are already trusted in the community.”The room went quiet, and Eli’s heart raced. But then, Sienna Brooks chimed in, “That’s actually a great idea! We’ve been struggling with how to make the language relatable, and that could really help.”Eli felt a wave of relief. All this time, he had been holding back, fearing his idea wasn’t smart enough. But the truth was, he hadn’t given his colleagues a chance to respond. His fear of looking foolish had almost cost the team a valuable idea.

Ask Yourself: When have I avoided speaking up because I was afraid of looking incompetent? How did that choice impact the outcome?Ask a Peer: Have you ever noticed me holding back in meetings or conversations? How do you think this affects my contributions and credibility to the team?Ask the Team: What can we do to create an environment where team members feel safe to share ideas, even if they aren’t fully developed or might seem risky?

Breakthrough: What transformation would you need to have to experience a breakthrough in this area -- from ___ to ___?E.g, from being self-conscience to being a contribution