Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs with Steve Cuss
25 snips
Jan 5, 2026 Steve Cuss, an author and leadership coach, shares his insights on managing anxiety within leadership. Leaders often misidentify their own anxiety as stress, which can spread to their teams. Cuss highlights the distinction between 'bigger-than-human' and 'smaller-than-human' reactivity. He discusses five false needs that fuel anxiety, including perfectionism and the need for approval. Cuss emphasizes the importance of reframing anxious language and how to lead effectively even when lacking full information, offering practical tools for emotional health in organizations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Baptism By Fire In The ICU
- Steve Cuss recounts his first 28-hour chaplain shift where he faced a chaotic ICU waiting room with no prior experience.
- That baptism-by-fire taught him to locate and manage reactivity in emotional fields.
Reactivity Is Contagious
- Reactivity is a contagious form of anxiety driven by false needs and spreads through teams.
- Leaders often don't see their own reactivity until others point it out.
Two Predictable Reactive Modes
- Humans react two ways when anxious: grow bigger than human or shrink smaller than human.
- These predictable patterns deplete teams and drive turnover.
