Deloitte’s Jen Fisher: What Being an Anxious Achiever Has Taught Me About Leadership
Jen Fisher writes: “As Stress Awareness Month unfolds, I’ve been thinking a lot about our mental health and how it plays out at work. I’ve always struggled with anxiety, and I’ve seen it come out in professional settings, like when a meeting gets put on my calendar without any context, or when I see the three little dots that indicate someone’s typing, but they haven’t responded yet. Like a lot of people, my mind can race in those moments, assuming I’m going to hear bad news, or that I did something wrong. And if you’re an anxious person, you’re all too familiar with the mental whirlwind that can happen in a scenario like that.
I recently sat down with my friend Morra Aarons-Mele, an amazing podcast host and founder of the social impact agency Women Online. She’s also the author of a new book, Anxious Achiever, a title that deeply resonates with me. We spoke all about navigating anxiety at work, especially when it comes to leadership. Our conversation was a huge eye-opener for me. It made me reflect on my own experiences with anxiety as a leader and how it’s both held me back and pushed me forward. While anxiety causes us to worry, overthink, and catastrophize, it also pushes us to work harder and focus under pressure. I’ve seen throughout my career that my anxiety can be a really positive thing. A bout of anxiety can put us into fight-or-flight mode, motivating us to do some of our best work — to push through, think creatively, and unlock new ideas. It truly is a blessing and a curse.”
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