Do What Scares You: Leadership Lessons

October may be the season of ghosts, ghouls, and jump scares, but in the world of leadership and quality improvement, the things that scare us most don’t live in haunted houses.
They live in our inboxes, policy folders, and long-overdue plans.

At BRB Consulting, we’ve seen how fear quietly takes root in organizations. It doesn’t always look dramatic, sometimes it looks like procrastination, endless revising, or saying “we’re just not ready yet.”

But here’s the truth: fear shows up most in the places that matter most.

And according to every great coach, therapist, and behavioral scientist, that’s exactly where the growth happens.

Psychologist Susan David calls it emotional agility, the ability to move through discomfort instead of avoiding it.
Leadership expert Brené Brown reminds us that courage and comfort cannot coexist.
And executive coach Marshall Goldsmith says what so many leaders know to be true: “What got you here won’t get you there.”

If you’re not at least a little scared, you’re probably not growing.

This October, our Do What Scares You series explored how that truth plays out in real organizations, from accreditation prep to everyday leadership.

1. The Accreditation Nightmare (and the myth of the perfect start)

The real fright isn’t survey week. It’s realizing too late that your plan hasn’t been updated in months and your data isn’t telling the story you hoped.

That moment… when your heart races and your inner critic gets loud… is where courage begins.

Professional coaches call it action over avoidance.
Starting anywhere, even small, breaks the paralysis.

You don’t need to be ready. You just need to begin.
Progress isn’t a sprint; it’s a pulse… one deliberate step at a time.

2. Fear of Feedback

The hardest feedback to hear is usually the one closest to the truth.
But leaders who invite honest feedback build stronger, more adaptive teams.

CARF requires feedback from clients, staff, and stakeholders, but even beyond accreditation, feedback is the heartbeat of learning organizations.

As Marshall Goldsmith says, “What got you here won’t get you there.”
Feedback isn’t failure; it’s the flashlight that shows the path forward.

When organizations listen deeply and respond intentionally, they turn compliance into culture and discomfort into trust.

3. Fear of Letting Go

Old systems, outdated processes, and “we’ve always done it this way” habits are comforting … until they start holding you back.

Remember the chaos when everyone moved from paper binders to electronic files? For weeks it felt like the sky was falling. And now? We can’t imagine going back.

Executive coaches call this creative destruction; the willingness to dismantle what no longer serves the mission so something stronger can take root.

Growth requires pruning.
Letting go is leadership.

4. The Leadership Leap

Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s acting with fear in the passenger seat.
It’s making the hard call with incomplete information.
It’s staying steady while others panic.

The best leaders don’t wait until they feel fearless.
They move with clarity, even when the outcome is uncertain.

As one CEO told us during survey prep, “I finally realized fear was part of the job… I just had to stop giving it the mic.”
That’s the shift that transforms organizations.

Closing Reflection: Turning Fear Into Fuel

Here’s the truth: whether you’re preparing for accreditation, leading a strategic plan, or just trying to get your team through Q4, fear will always find a seat at the table.

But fear isn’t the enemy. It’s data… the kind that points directly to growth.

Every professional coach will tell you that what we resist expands, and what we face shrinks.
So if your to-do list feels impossible, or your systems feel outdated, start small.
Send the first email. Open the old policy. Ask one question you’ve been avoiding.

Fear loses power the moment you take action.

As the year winds down, maybe that’s the reminder we all need:
Progress doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from courage.

🍁 This season, do the thing that scares you.

Coach’s Corner: Reflect, Reset, Reframe

Grab a pen or bring this to your next team huddle. Use it as a five-minute reset to turn reflection into momentum.

1. Where are you hesitating because you’re afraid it won’t be perfect?
Write it down. Now shrink it into one small next step.

2. What feedback have you been avoiding or quietly ignoring?
Name one conversation you’ll start this week.

3. What process, mindset, or habit needs to be released?
Sometimes letting go is the most strategic move you can make.