Leadership doesn’t happen without courage. Courage is having strength in the face of perceived pain or grief. There are a few things about courage I have observed in my study of key Leadership principles. First, courage is a skill that can be learned and enhanced with practice. Second, those people with courage perform better both in their personal and professional lives. Organizations benefit when team members within that entity are more courageous.
Here are some examples of everyday courage:
Take on a new role that eclipses your self-perceived skill.
Delegate a task to a new or untested employee.
Enforce performance standards on tenured staff members.
Give a presentation to your boss’s boss.
Inform a customer about a mistake you or your organization made.
Privately, but assertively, disagree with your boss about a recent decision he/she has made.
Courage is moving from a comfort zone to a discomfort zone. It is not an easy thing to do and takes guts. It is moving from safety to opportunity. The trick in life is to make steady progress verses always trying to seek perfection. Practice small steps of courage and you will be amazed at the progress you and your organization will make.
Curious how to display everyday courage in the workplace? Contact me for more examples of everyday courage: firstname.lastname@example.org
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