Macho Man and Superwoman?

I expected most of the executives I interviewed to say that they feel little or no fear in the workplace. After all, these people made it to the top, so they should have nothing to fear. Instead, I found that four out of five invincible executives acknowledge significant fear in performing their jobs. Interestingly, the women I interviewed tended to say that fear was counterproductive, and that they tried to suppress it wherever possible. The men, while by no means unanimous, most often said that they "used" fear to sharpen their skills. I attribute the difference between men and women in this regard to a greater concern by women that they will look weak if they show any fear. It is still tougher for a woman to get to the top, so fear suppression is a survival skill for many women.