As leaders, it’s critical that we allow and validate these natural emotions in ourselves and our team members. Organizations face a unique challenge in unpredictable times when fear is ever-present or evolves into a continuous undercurrent of anxiety that wears down the body and mind. Left unchecked, fear and anxiety deteriorate our higher-level thinking abilities, memory, and concentration. We diminish our capacity to think critically and solve problems creatively, exactly when we need those abilities the most.