Career Contessa 3 Mental Strategies for Overcoming Fear (That Actually Work)
Nov 11, 2025
Ranjay Gulati, a Harvard Business School professor and author of "How to Be Bold," shares insights on courage and overcoming fear in your career. He explains that true courage is acting despite fear, not the absence of it. Listeners learn about the 'fear equation' and how uncertainty impacts our actions. He introduces the 9 C's of Courage and emphasizes the importance of personal narratives. Ranjay also shares mental strategies like rituals and reframing that help manage fear in real-time, ultimately guiding us to take bold actions.
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Mother's Defiant Moment
- Ranjay Gulati recounts his mother slapping a developer who threatened her with a gun to force a land sale.
- She told him being scared didn't mean doing nothing, which shaped his view of courage.
Courage Is Action, Not Fearlessness
- Gulati defines courage as action in the face of fear, not absence of fear.
- He frames courage as a choice and a skill you can learn, not only an innate trait.
Uncertainty Triggers Primal Fear
- Uncertainty, unlike measurable risk, triggers primal fear because outcomes and odds are unclear.
- Our brains are wired toward avoidance, so we must deliberately learn to act despite that wiring.
