ABSTRACT
Fearless leadership is about dispelling falsity and purging myths, not using them as reference points. The beliefs that companies print in the annual report and hang on the corporate walls are not necessarily the same as those which are operating beliefs and govern daily behavior. Those operational beliefs governing daily behavior are the only ones that really matter. Normative pressure is that urgency created by other people to conform to their demands. This pressure can be aggressive or passive. This chapter presents some examples of norms which create fears when unexamined or not opposed, as well as some examples of beliefs which create fears when unexamined or not challenged. Leaders need to frequently evaluate the norms that are influencing them (both aggressive and passive) and beliefs which they hold that are eventually manifest in their behaviors. Inappropriate beliefs and oppressive norms create the fears which mask talent and stymie innovation.
