Introduction
In today’s high-stress, fast-paced world, leaders are often under pressure to deliver results quickly. This urgency can lead many to default to fear-based leadership—using control, threats, or avoidance tactics to motivate others. But there’s a more sustainable, effective alternative: trauma-informed leadership.
In this article, we explore insights shared by Dr. Maiysha Clairborne in a recent episode of Behind Beliefs, Behaviors, and the Brain. As a physician, coach, and trauma-informed communication expert, Dr. Clairborne unpacks the neuroscience behind fear-driven leadership and highlights the power of leading from possibility, trust, and empowerment.
Understanding the Difference
Leading From Fear vs. Leading With Fear
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Leading from fear means your decisions and actions are driven by what you want to avoid—failure, criticism, loss of control. You operate in a heightened state of stress, constantly scanning for threats.
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Leading with fear involves using fear to motivate others. Whether it’s through intimidation, pressure, or manipulation, this approach taps into survival instincts rather than innovation and collaboration.
Both forms of fear-based leadership are reactive, short-sighted, and—most importantly—unsustainable.
The Neuroscience Behind Fear-Based Leadership
Dr. Clairborne emphasizes how the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) plays a role in our behavior. This system seeks alignment between our internal focus and external reality.
When leaders focus on what they don’t want—missed goals, conflict, underperformance—RAS directs attention toward those very outcomes, increasing the likelihood they’ll occur. Fear narrows our perspective, elevates cortisol, and activates survival responses like fight, flight, or freeze.
This creates an internal and organizational environment of:
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Hypervigilance
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Poor decision-making
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Disconnection
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Burnout
In trauma-informed leadership, the goal is to shift that focus—from fear and avoidance to vision, safety, and possibility.
Why Fear-Based Leadership Fails Teams and Organizations
Fear may produce quick action—but it’s rarely creative, sustainable, or values-aligned. Over time, fear-based environments lead to:
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Reduced psychological safety
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Increased turnover
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Limited innovation
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Poor communication
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Mistakes made under pressure
When people operate from fear, they aren’t thinking clearly. They’re less able to collaborate, adapt, or offer their best work. This applies across industries—from healthcare to corporate environments to families and grassroots movements.
The Shift to Trauma-Informed Leadership
Trauma-informed leadership recognizes the impact of psychological safety on team performance. It requires a commitment to lead from a place of empowerment, vision, and emotional intelligence.
This style of leadership:
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Focuses on what’s possible rather than what’s to be avoided
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Builds trust through transparency and consistency
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Encourages creativity and collaboration
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Fosters resilience and adaptability
When leaders lead with possibility, it ignites excitement and lowers stress. People feel seen, heard, and valued—essential elements in any high-performing culture.
Applying Trauma-Informed Leadership in Practice
Here are ways to integrate trauma-informed leadership principles into your work:
1. Self-Reflection
Ask yourself:
Am I leading from fear or possibility?
Are my team’s actions driven by motivation or pressure?
Is safety and trust present in my leadership?
2. Focus on Vision
Communicate clearly where your organization is headed—not just what it’s avoiding.
Keep your team’s RAS aligned with positive outcomes.
3. Foster Psychological Safety
Create space where people feel safe to speak up, make mistakes, and grow.
This encourages learning, loyalty, and innovation.
4. Center Empowerment
Lead by developing your team’s strengths, not by controlling their weaknesses.
Empowerment promotes accountability and creativity.
5. Practice Emotional Intelligence
Understand your own emotional triggers.
Recognize the emotional cues of others.
Respond rather than react.
Why Trauma-Informed Leadership Matters Now More Than Ever
Sectors like healthcare are only beginning to recognize the importance of trauma-informed leadership. For years, emotional intelligence and psychological safety have been overlooked in high-stakes environments, but the tide is turning.
Now is the time to reimagine what leadership looks like—beyond performance metrics and toward human-centered culture change.
Conclusion
Leading from fear might produce immediate action, but leading from possibility produces lasting transformation. Trauma-informed leadership not only drives better outcomes—it cultivates healthier, more connected teams.
So here’s your leadership reflection for the week:
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Are you leading from fear or empowerment?
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Are you leading with fear or with vision?
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How can you begin to cultivate trust, safety, and possibility within your organization, family, or community?
When you lead from empowerment, you don’t just move people—you move cultures. And that’s the real work of a trauma-informed leader.
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Follow Dr. Maiysha on Social media
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DrMaiysha
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Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrMaiysha
Youtube: www.YouTube.com/DrMaiysha
Hosted by: Dr. Maiysha Clairborne
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