FEAR! Even the word itself trembles with tension. Fear can have its purposes — it keeps a child from running into traffic or prevents us from reenacting “I’m the king of the world!” at the edge of a cruise ship. At times, fear protects us. But it has no rightful place in leadership.
In my experience, leaders who use fear as a motivator rarely do so intentionally. More often, it’s a reaction to their own insecurities, such as feeling unheard, frustrated, or powerless. I’ve seen leaders yell, flip tables, and threaten, not out of strength, but out of fear that they are losing control. These moments do not reveal authority; they expose the absence of it and the inability to inspire others to follow willingly.
Every leader faces moments of uncertainty. And in those moments, the temptation to reach for fear can be strong. Evoking fear feels like control. It demands obedience, it commands attention. But fear is a fragile strategy. It may yield short-term compliance, yet over time it corrodes trust, weakens relationships, and diminishes the very people you are called to lead. In the end, fear leaves you alone leading no one, not even yourself, out of the hole it creates.
Judaism offers a profound reframe of fear and leadership. The Torah speaks of yiras Hashem, which is often translated as the “fear of God.” Yet, as many commentators note, the phrase is better understood as awe or wonder of God.
Rabbi Jack Abramowitz puts it plainly in his essay, “Why Are We So Scared of God?”: He states he is not “a big fan of the term ‘God-fearing’ and goes on to explain that Fear of God is not like the terror one feels toward a serial killer. It’s more like the deep respect and deference we owe a parent (OU.org). Similarly, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’l, during a lecture on faith, spoke how fear of God is not to evoke terror but rather reverence, awe, and wonder.
This distinction changes everything. Fear shrinks us. Awe expands us. Fear silences. Awe awakens. Fear isolates. Awe connects.