Courage Over Confidence: Working Through Fear as a Leader
Courage Over Confidence: Working Through Fear as a Leader
In this inaugural episode, Jill Steeley opens up about what almost stopped her from starting this podcast—fear. She shares her personal journey of overcoming fear as a former FQHC CEO and now business owner, and provides practical strategies for community health leaders to push past their own fears and accomplish their biggest goals.
Key Topics Discussed
The Role of Fear in Leadership
- How fear manifests differently for new versus seasoned leaders
- Common fears for health center CEOs: compromising mission, staff resistance, board backlash, upsetting high-performing teams
- Why fear shouldn't drive your decisions
Courage Over Confidence
- Why taking action builds confidence faster than waiting to feel ready
- How action provides clarity when you're stuck
- The power of imperfect action over perfect inaction
Jill's Personal Story
- Overcoming fear as a new CEO with no predecessor
- Starting a consulting business as a single mom
- Breaking through limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome
- Turning a health center from a million-dollar deficit to multimillion-dollar reserves
The Fear Inventory Exercise
Jill introduces a practical framework for identifying and working through your fears:
What's the worst that could happen?
- Write down every single possibility
- Face your fears head-on by naming them
What's the cost of staying where I am?
- Especially important if you're experiencing burnout
- Consider the long-term impact of inaction
What becomes possible if I move forward?
- Envision the opportunities that open up with just one small step
- Consider the ripple effects of taking action
Key Timestamps
- [00:00:00] - Introduction: Why fear almost stopped this podcast
- [00:02:00] - How fear drives the train in our careers
- [00:04:00] - Action provides clarity
- [00:05:00] - Common fears for health center leaders
- [00:06:00] - New leaders vs. seasoned leaders
- [00:08:00] - Starting a consulting business through fear
- [00:12:00] - The Fear Inventory Exercise
- [00:14:00] - Three questions to ask yourself
- [00:18:00] - Building your courage muscle
Key Takeaways
✓ Fear is normal—it's your brain trying to keep you safe, but it shouldn't drive your decisions
✓ Action provides clarity and builds confidence faster than overthinking
✓ New leaders often don't know what they don't know; seasoned leaders fear what they DO know
✓ One small step toward progress is better than perfect planning
✓ Your experience and knowledge have value, even when imposter syndrome tells you otherwise
✓ Fear never fully goes away, but you can build your courage muscle
Actionable Steps
Do a Fear Inventory: What goals have you been avoiding? What fears are stopping you?
Answer the Three Questions: Write down and speak your answers out loud
What's the worst that could happen?
What's the cost of staying where I am?
What becomes possible if I move forward?
Take One Small Step: Identify just the first tiny action toward your goal
Share Your Progress: Email Jill to...
