To be a Courageous Leader means...

Leadership is under fire in today's corporate culture and probably is for some very good reasons. We need to revisit revise, what leadership is all about, and what ingredients if you will,?are integral to becoming what I would call a courageous leader. We need more courageous leaders in every walk of life, in every institution, in every organization that will not only lead but model, support and empower those that work with and for them. Why? because the courageous leader needs to have the ability to face difficulty, uncertainty or pain, without being overcome by fear, or intimidated by consequences.?How many leaders do you know that fit that definition?

Probably the minority. But courageous in this sense means gutsy, daring, bold, and taking it to the next level of how we work with those that work with us and for us. The courageous leader needs to have more confidence in principles than in personalities, to have a high tolerance for ambiguity, exposure, personal loss and to accept deferred gratification, and personal rewards, to evidence, independence of thought, even in the most difficult of situations, More importantly, to be a formidable, persistent presence, in determining the direction of where the organization is going. The lack of this type of courage if you will, becomes very predominant.

It shows itself in the lack of transparency, who needs to know what, why, for what reason, and who decides. Transparency is a?key issue because if you want everybody to quote your team, then transparency is key. So we're all working from the same playbook if you will.

Another is the lack of trust. If I perceive you can't be trusted, that's my reality. Remember this, as developing courageous leaders, perceptions determine attitudes and attitudes determine behavior. If my perception is that you can't be trusted. That's my truth, and that will affect my relationship with you and those around me.?Perceptions are neither right nor wrong. They just are. So the courageous leader needs to be very sensitive to that fact about trust and that trust cannot be demanded, it must be earned over periods.

Another lack is a lack of accountability, who you are accountable to, and that's different from being responsible. Responsibility means I'm responsible for myself and what I do.?Accountability means I'm accountable to you for what I do.

?Those who serve with me, work with me, for me, vendors, suppliers, customers, where's my accountability, if I'm not accountable, if I'm always looking for scapegoats, that's not courageous. That's cowardice.

The next lack is a lack of stewardship, lack of being other-centered, lack of being for the other lack of ongoing training to make your people better than what they were yesterday or last year or whatever. Those four "lacks" once again, lack of transparency, lack of trust, lack of accountability, and lack of stewardship will destroy courageous leaders.