Lead with Courage

Excerpt from my book Leadership Attitude

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. -Nelson Mandela

Leadership is about courage.

Lead with courage. It occurs to me every day how much courage the leaders have that I am coaching and working with.

Courage means “The ability to do something that frightens. Bravery and strength in the face of pain or grief.”

My days have been filled with courage, bravery and strength. I have had a week of meeting leaders who have been made redundant, a week of coaching leaders who don’t think they are good enough, a week of leaders being told they are not performing, a week of leaders trying to get that dream job but they not being seen. A week of leaders trying to build businesses and their dreams, asking for help, and a week of leaders who are putting themselves out there to be the best they can be after I had coached and inspired them to go for it. A week of leaders being also truly vulnerable.

Thing is; I work with and live and breathe courage every day. 

Showing up and being authentically who you are is courage, fighting for what you believe in is courage, putting your hand up is courage, asking for help is courage, starting your own business is courage, letting people go who don’t serve you is courage, getting back up when you are knocked down is courage and being the best leader you can be is courage. We are courageous every day of our lives. 

Your time is limited; so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. -Steve Jobs

I love this quote by Steve Jobs. Why? There are many reasons why! Often I work with leaders trying to be someone else, lacking the bravery and courage to go for what they want and letting others bring them down. Yet I know it’s in them, deep down, somewhere…

Be who YOU are, own it and focus on what makes you rock! We are all different. Focus your mind and thoughts on what makes you different, brilliant and unique. You will start to see and feel the difference of focusing on your mind on your strengths, talents and how YOU make a difference to others and this world.

No one is perfect. Remember this. Life is about putting yourself out there. Life is about learning and growing. There are plenty of things I am not great at. And if I want to be better at something or be the best I can be; I read, work with a coach and mentors, attend conferences, connect with people who can help – I open my mind to learning and change. I love being different. I love learning.

In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. – Coco Chanel

Go for it. If I can do it, you can. If you really want that role, to work with that company, meet that person (I found a great mentor on LinkedIn, asked to meet him and asked him to be my mentor – he said YES!), to start a business, follow a dream, visit that place or whatever that might be. Go for it. Do it. I started my company from a BLOG! Why? Because I believed in myself and loved Leadership. And I thought to myself, worst case scenario is that I gave it a go and it didn’t work out. Sure I was sh.t scared but I lived beyond the fear and jumped.

Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway. – John Wayne

Life is WAY too short to just wish you were doing this or that, do it and go for it. If I can do it, you can! Be Courageous.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T.S. Eliot

Want to learn Courage? Find out more about my Courageous Leadership Tour!

Be defined by you. Do not let others define you. Over the years I have had my critics, and I have also had my brilliant supporters. I have had amazing guidance and feedback as well as the negative and downright unnecessary comments. I don’t define myself by them and only listen to those who truly matter. I always follow my heart and intuition. There is great courage in doing so.

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. – Coco Chanel

Leadership is about courage. It is truly brave to be who you truly are.

Step up and Lead. Believe and trust yourself. Only you matter. You are worthy.

This is Courage.

What does courage mean to you?

What courageous action can you do today?

Want to be more Courageous?

Join me today on my Online Courageous Leadership Program!