Why leaders need to harness their fear

There are lots of reasons Catherine Ulrich ought to feel confident in her achievements at work. In fact, she has every reason to feel downright certain things are going well.

Ulrich is chief product officer at Shutterstock and her firm has become one of the largest stock image companies in the world. But Ulrich says she’s always looking over her shoulder.

“I’ll always be a little paranoid,” Ulrich admits. “I’m often thinking about whether the customer is going to find a better product out there. Maybe it makes me sound weird, but paranoia is one word that makes me stay on top.”

Weird? Perhaps not. Honing your fear is exactly what you need to do when you’ve mastered an industry. If you’re overseeing a company or division that’s currently beating the competition, worrying about what’s coming up behind you may be the only way to remain on top.
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http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160826-paranoid-it-could-be-the-key-to-your-success