Inspiring courage
One of the most defining attributes of a strong leader is courage. And inspiring our teams to be courageous and take calculated risks can be one of the best leadership skills we can impress on our teams.
A recent Smart Brief article outlines five key steps that will allow you to inspire courage in your employees and I found all of them to ring true:
- Highlight the value of being courageous: The author suggests that highlighting examples from history where leaders overcame fear and achieved great things. But, however you choose to achieve this step, the most important aspect is to frequently remind your team about the value that can come from being courageous. Don’t forget to remind them that the definition of ‘courageousness’ does not include words like ‘brashness’ or ‘recklessness.’
- Portray boldness: Make courage a defining characteristic of your own leadership style and work. Share examples of both taking a risk and it paying off for you and a time where you experienced a setback in the pursuit of a challenging goal. Being honest about mistakes will lend itself to your authenticity and, at the same time, your team will benefit from hearing from a time where courage paid off for you.
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