08/22/2025

How to Make Your Inner Critic a Valuable Ally

Too often, fear and the inner critic dog the best leaders

Fear and your inner critic can be strategic assets if we allow ourselves to get curious and learn a new perspective that aligns us to the gifts they have for us. These gifts can support us in making intentional choices (rather than reacting unintentionally).

In order to leverage these gifts, first we need a baseline understanding of what fear is.

Fear gets a bad rap these days. In truth, it’s a wonderful evolutionary gift that's greatly misunderstood. Fear is meant to protect us. Can you think of anything better at doing its job? This is the perfect response if we find ourselves in a situation where a rational fear is present. If a shark is chasing you, it's the fear that motivates you to swim faster or fight back and punch the shark hard on the nose. This is fear at its most useful, its most rational.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Chief Executive.