Maryland Gov. Wes Moore shared something at the Aspen Ideas Festival that made me rethink how I approach difficult decisions. He described four words his grandfather wrote in his Bible: “Have Faith Not Fear.”

Moore explained: “When I let fear lead, results never worked out for me.”
This isn’t religious platitude—it’s practical leadership wisdom. Moore has led paratroopers in combat, governed a state through crisis, and built organizations from scratch. He’s learned that fear-based decisions create fear-based cultures. The insight that hit me: Leaders’ emotional states cascade through their entire organization.

Fear-based leadership creates:

💠 Risk-averse teams that miss opportunities
💠 Defensive cultures that hide problems
💠 Short-term thinking that sacrifices long-term value
💠 Reactive strategies that follow rather than lead

Faith-based leadership creates:

💠 Bold teams that pursue ambitious goals
💠 Transparent cultures that surface issues early
💠 Long-term thinking that builds sustainable value
💠 Proactive strategies that shape markets

Moore’s approach reminds me of research from Harvard’s Amy Edmondson on psychological safety. Teams perform best when they feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and speak truth to power. But that safety starts with leaders who model faith over fear.

The practical application: Before making difficult decisions, Moore asks himself: “Am I operating from faith or fear?”

Faith: This could work, and if it doesn’t, we’ll learn and adapt

Fear: This might fail, so let’s avoid the risk entirely

The question that haunts me: How many opportunities have you missed because fear was driving the decision? And how might your teams perform differently if they saw you leading from faith rather than fear?

Wes Moore’s “The Work” explores leadership during crisis. Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety shows how leader behavior affects team performance. Moore’s military background provides unique perspective on leading under pressure.