Page 125 - Fearless Leadership

112 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

• Are you quiet in meetings, saying only what needs to be
said but not fully communicating?
• Is your normal optimistic approach replaced with pessimistic
comments?
• Do people who usually seek you out avoid you or work
around you?
• Do you feel emotionally drained, as if you are running
on empty?
• Do small things annoy you that usually don’t bother you?
• Does everything seem to take a lot of energy and effort?

2. Answer the following questions to determine where you are resigned.
With Whom Am I Resigned and Shrinking the Game?

• A direct report or a coworker?
• My team?
• The organization as a whole?
• Senior leaders?
• The next level up?

Where Am I Trapped in Victim Mentality?
• In what circumstances have I become the victim? Whom have
I made the persecutor: the company, senior leaders, a group,
the community, a customer, a supplier, a colleague?
• Who are my co-conspirators? How have I actively enlisted them
in my view?

What Payoffs Am I Receiving in Being a Victim of
Circumstances?
Behavior serves a purpose, and if you are engaging in victim mentality,
you are receiving certain benefits or payoffs. What are they? Examples:

• “No one can hold me accountable.”
• “I get to be right.”
• “I win; others lose.”
• “I avoid conflict and confrontation.”
• “I don’t have to deal with difficult people or situations.”
• “No one interferes with me or my team.”