LEADERS OF COURAGE: “Conquering Jerichos”

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” Nelson Mandela

Let me start off by first congratulating you! You are reading this because you are either an entrepreneur yourself, an adventurer in spirit or because you are planning on becoming one. In case you are none of that, it is still okay; either way, you have my full support! Now, why am I congratulating you? Because of all the range of career choices you could have chosen from, you have picked the Goliath of all the goliaths and none of them can be successfully conquered without a certain level of courage. On that note, I am still amazed to see how often we associate courage with the physical ability to go head first into as many trees as possible until one can no longer move forward. The word courage still wears the emblem of a valiant soldier who goes to battle against all odds with one sword facing a multitude. While all of that remains fundamentally true, I shift the general perception of courage from a physical state to a mental and an emotional state of mind. The most palpable proof of courage I have ever heard of resonates within the heart of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela when he declared in his biography Long walk to freedom “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.”  This quote is often used to illustrate the power of forgiveness but I believe it takes tremendous courage to even dare to forgive in such circumstances. He set the tone for everyone to follow against all odds and forced even those unwilling to follow. It is that kind of courage and attitude every leader should aspire to and inspire anyone around them. Have you ever considered the fact that as a leader, your life is in display? Your team and the rest of the world are watching your every moves just like the whole country of South Africa and the world was watching Mandela as he got out of prison. Your approach towards challenges will either inspire courage or cowardice, but ultimately, whatever you do stems from your mental and emotional readiness to confront challenges of all sorts.

       - We all face up our own Jerichos -

The ancient scriptures tell us the story of a man called Joshua, often not given the credit he deserves to my opinion. Born as a slave in Egypt Joshua was used to lacking and being ordered what to do in everything. For over forty years, he lived an uneventful life until he was finally asked to be a spy by the leader of his tribe, Moses. His ability to obey and remain faithful to the cause brought him great recognition before the people and his tribe leader who later on made him general over his entire army. When his leader died, he was passed on the baton of leadership and his first challenge as the new leader of his tribe was to conquer Jericho, the most impenetrable city of his time, built around high and thick walls like never seen before. I find it interesting that in the story, the two main qualities that he was given to conquer the city were “strength and courage “. The kind of strength he was given had nothing to do with muscle but rather the perseverance not to give up before adversity. How is it possible that of all the tools he could have been given to defeat an invincible adversary, perseverance and courage were the only tools given? He gladly accepted to be strong and courageous and while all of his men were terrified at the idea of going against Jericho, his courage to “go” “go” “go” led them and finally gave them victory. The story tells us that Joshua defeated Jericho but the truth is, it is his army, the people who followed him, ordinary humans like you and myself who on the battle field defeated every single one of the soldiers of the army of Jericho despite being outrageously outnumbered. The truth is Joshua’s army did not rely on their own strength but on Joshua’s ability to be brave and courageous; he inspired them to go and win because he knew his life was in display before his team and whatever attributes he displayed would be the kind of attribute they would display. He chose to be courageous and so did they. Your team attitude is a true reflection of your ability to inspire and lead. But isn’t Joshua’s story a metaphor of what every entrepreneur has to go through? First, you need to break free from the chains of the current trend and status quo in order to invent a new trend, then you need to be mentored, a period after which you start to gradually go against your first “Jerichos”. It is not strategy that will help you conquer your challenges as a leader but first, courage. While it takes courage to be courageous, what is courage really?

- The definition and its equation -

I have been asked that question many times and I have caught myself on more than one occasion speechless and unable to give a suitable description. It is one of those things we all think we know but when asked to describe becomes a mathematical equation. To put it in simple words, courage is the ability to GO when all odds are against you. A lot of people confuse taking on an immense task with being courageous but it is not courage when you know you can do it. Being courageous involves what I have come to call the RCCB.

 Risks. It forces you to take risks beyond your natural ability

 Comfort Zone. It forces you to literally quit your comfort zone

 Cost. It can cost you everything, including your own life; be ready

Belief. It requires a strong sense of belief in the end goal no matter what it takes.

I always say courage can never be called courage in the absence of fear, both go together unlike what most people think. I mentioned earlier that courage is before anything else a mental and emotional state and here is why. Courage starts when the will to “GO” and “DO” is greater than the fear to “GO” and “DO” it. Here is a simple mathematical illustration of how our mind works in every situation we face:

?             If            Will > Fear = Courage ( we stretch )

?             If            Will < Fear = Cowardice ( We remain in status quo)

?             If            Will = fear  = Procrastination ( We are undecided )

Most people even those socially accepted as leaders live their entire lives in their comfort zone, the result of equation 2 without realizing it is a coward life they are leading and feeding to everyone they have influence over. I strongly believe No man to be born coward but some decide to act coward. Although your actions do not define you, they nevertheless determine the kind of life you live and the kind of leader you become. So, what to do if you are caught in equation 2? Dayo says “courage is like a muscle; it is strengthened by use.” On that, I have drafted a few simple steps you can follow in order to improve your CQ, Courage Quotient:

?             Give yourself daily minor challenges that you need to overcome. Make them small, doable with an inch of a challenge and “DO” it! Scientists have proven that if you can repeatedly do an activity for 60 days, you will acquire the habit of doing it. A good example is trying to wake up every day at 5:30 am to do that exercise, or study you have been telling yourself in vain you would do for months or help with the dishes every evenings. Remember that you don’t have to like doing it, you just have to do it!

?             Gradually increase the level of difficulty of your daily challenges as you master the habit of doing your previous challenges.

?             Make someone accountable to monitor your challenges. If your doing it only rest on your shoulders, you might slack back into your old habits, but if you have someone to check on you and your evolution, that could be an extra incentive.

?             Reward yourself on your small victories. Stop and ponder on every one of your victories and ask yourself how you overcame that challenge.

?             Write your feelings before taking on the challenge and how you feel once you have mastered it. This will build your confidence in your ability to overcome your “Jerichos”. You will start seeing every challenge as yet a new “Jericho” to write about after you have overcome it.

?             Keep the momentum and never stop challenging yourself. Be intentional about the challenges you take and remember that overcoming a challenge in one area also strengthens all your other weak areas.

?             Share your knowledge. What you know, what you have learnt was never meant to stay locked in your mind. You are a link on a chain called human life and your strength is by default called to be strength to the remaining links so that the whole chain can be stronger. Pass on your knowledge to those you have and can have influence over. Your notes will help you pass that message along and can even turn into a best seller book. If you keep the previous 6 habits alive for a year, two, five years, you might just end up as the bravest man you have ever come across.

 Equation 3 on the other hand speaks of those in position of leadership who wake up with great ideas to change their organization and perhaps the world, start working on it but eventually get caught up in the size and thickness of their “Jericho” and in due course give up. The next day they wake up with that same great feeling again and yet fall in the size of their worries. These people are predisposed agents of change. They are standing on the edge of the waterfall to their destiny, ready to jump but choose to spend the rest of their lives on the edge of something incredible. All you need in that case a simple word of encouragement, a little push, an endorsement. You need to be told you are courageous and you can do it! Read a book about bravery or attend a workshop or seminary in your field and exchange directly with the guest speaker who shared the how he made it, if possible. Shake his hand and know that he/ she is real and was just were you are a few years ago. That knowledge, that real interaction will cause a wake up call within yourself and you will have to carry that fiery momentum like a precious stone from that day and never let go of it. You will be surprised by how quick you are likely to turn into a number 1 equation. On that note, Bill Cosby advises that you need to “decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it”.

The number 1 equation are the world changers, those who have made courage a habit and dare to challenge the status quo on a daily , yearly basis and are consistently shaping the world into what we now see. They never take NO for an answer and keep on defying the laws of nature. They have realized that courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway as Dr Robert Anthony once said. Get close to such people, be ready to submit, watch them do marvels and don’t be afraid to ask them stupid questions. Make the bigger picture of your life greater than your current situation. Accept to be mentored and to be shown how to just like Joshua and you will find yourself displaying the exact same prowess you admired your leader for. Lastly, show and be grateful to those who gave you a hand on your way up because you might just need it again and you are never high enough to stop needing a hand.

 So, what can I do to become a courageous leader?

1.     Remember that courage is a battle of the mind. Win against your fears in your mind and your actions will follow accordingly.

2.     Your life is in display. Your attitude towards a Jericho determines the level of courage of the team that follows you.

3.        Your courage lies in your ability to GO when all odds are against you.

4.        Courage involves tackling your R(isks) C(omfortzone) C(ost) B(elief)

5.        In the face of a Jericho, you only have three choices : Courage, Cowardice or Procrastination. Choose courage!

6.        You can exercise your courage and improve your CQ.

7.        Your team attitude towards a Jericho will always be a true reflection of your courage as a leader and your ability to inspire.