How courageous are you?

Winston Churchill once said, "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...because it is the quality which guarantees all others."

But the fact is, the most important qualities – and certainly not courage - are not necessarily the most widespread. 

Do you know what I miss most in the leadership teams of many companies? The courage to think big, to tackle the most ambitious goals, to push through important decisions and to set an example of courageous leadership.

There is a huge difference between people who stay in their comfort zone and those who think and act on a much larger scale. Truly great things only ever come about when the distance between a vision and the current state of affairs is as great as possible.

This requires courage. After all, a growth of 3% per year feels more secure than if we wanted to double our business in 3 years. The latter will cause resistance, fears, complaints, but also the chance for real change - for something truly outstanding.

So, here is my challenge: Show more courage! This can be practiced. Here are three "courage exercises:"

1. Goals. At the next budget meeting or strategy workshop, don't settle for the normal. Instead, say, "I think we should dare more. We can do much more good for many more customers. Let's get on with it." And then announce your courageous goals.
2. Decisions. Demonstrate courage to make small decisions immediately and to make bigger decisions after a short consideration. In most cases you will be right (or it doesn't matter at all). And if not, correct them. That almost always works. Only the really big decisions should be evaluated more carefully.
3. Change. I have written about it several times: Make it a habit to do something different every now and then. Fight against mental paralysis and try something new, be it cancelling meetings or changing habits. In this way, you show that change is normal and stagnation is unacceptable.

If you want to work with me in detail on these and other important leadership topics, please contact me for leadership coaching. ➔ Click here.