Position Yourself as a Courageous Leader

There are few things that a leader needs more than courage. The decisions you make as a leader will result in you being evaluated by others. They will criticize you from time to time. Sometimes you’ll take action and it simply won’t pan out.

Maya Angelou said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”

This is critical to understand. If you’re not courageous as a leader, you simply won’t do any of the other things necessary to be a good leader.

• You won’t take appropriate risks because you’re afraid of missing the mark.
• You won’t suggest new ideas because you’re afraid they’ll be shot down.
• You won’t take bold action because you might be judged by others.

There will be times when you simply don’t know what the outcome of a particular action will be. In those moments, you’ll be tempted to avoid acting at all.

It’s those moments when courage is needed more than ever. You need the courage to act boldly, regardless of the outcome.

William Faulkner said it this way, “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”

As an effective leader, there will be times when you lose sight of the shore. When you’re launching a totally new initiative. When you’re introducing a new product that’s unlike anything you’ve ever done before. When you’re trying to create a new team to tackle a new, difficult project.

If you’re going to achieve great things as a leader, you must have the courage to lose sight of the shore. To keep going even when you’re not sure exactly how things are going to work out. 

If you display great courage in the face of adversity, people will follow you. They’ll admire and be inspired by your courage and want to emulate you.

Steven Foust