You can’t be a good leader without courage. It does not take a lot of courage to stay in your comfort zone, but it does take courage to grow and learn. To push yourself and be willing to fail. Leadership has been defined as ‘taking people where they would not have gotten by themselves.’ That kind of leadership takes courage because there is a real risk of failure. Followers will always have their doubts and be ready to point the finger of blame if something goes wrong. How do you become a courageous leader? Little by little, starting with simple tasks and moving to more challenging ones. Slowly, the unfamiliar becomes familiar and the exceptional becomes routine. Courage can be learned when you make the exceptional the routine. You have to intentionally decide you will risk failure in order to become a better leader.
So what kind of leader do you want to be? Your answer to that question does a lot to determine whether or not you will be successful. Leadership is a journey. You must decide where you want to go and then set your course toward being the leader you want to become. Or you can be swept along with the tide, letting others determine where you will end up. It’s your choice.
What small step can you take toward becoming a more courageous leader?
