Leadership is not just about making decisions and giving orders. It’s also about taking risks and embracing vulnerability. Leading with courage means being willing to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. It means being willing to be vulnerable and open to feedback. It means being willing to confront reality head-on and say what needs to be said.
What is Courageous Leadership?
Courageous leadership is about developing courage and vulnerability as a leader. It requires claiming your courage and deciding to be a courageous leader, no matter what. It requires getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. It requires revealing vulnerability and confronting reality head-on. It requires seeking feedback and actually listening. It requires saying what needs to be said and taking action on performance issues. It requires communicating openly and often. It requires being self-aware and mindful of your strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and triggers. And it requires being humble and curious about your own and others’ perspectives, experiences, and needs.
Why is Embracing Vulnerability Important?
Embracing vulnerability is important for leadership success because it fosters trust, authenticity, and connection. When leaders are vulnerable, they create a safe space for their team members to be vulnerable too. This leads to better communication, collaboration, and performance outcomes. Vulnerability also helps leaders build stronger relationships with their team members by showing that they are human too⁴.
How to Lead with Courage?
Leading with courage requires developing the following skills:
1. Claiming your courage: Decide to be a courageous leader no matter what.
2. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable: Embrace discomfort as an opportunity for growth.
3. Revealing vulnerability: Share your fears, doubts, and insecurities with your team members.
4. Confronting reality head-on: Face problems head-on instead of avoiding them.
5. Seeking feedback: Ask for feedback from your team members and actually listen to what they have to say.
6. Saying what needs to be said: Speak up when you see something that needs to be addressed.
7. Taking action on performance issues: Address performance issues head-on instead of ignoring them.
8. Communicating openly and often: Communicate openly with your team members on a regular basis.
9. Being self-aware: Be aware of your strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and triggers.
10. Being humble and curious: Be humble and curious about your own and others’ perspectives, experiences, and needs.
Conclusion
In summary, leading with courage means taking risks, embracing vulnerability, confronting reality head-on, saying what needs to be said, seeking feedback, taking action on performance issues, communicating openly and often, being self-aware, and being humble and curious about your own and others’ perspectives. By developing these skills, leaders can foster trust, authenticity, connection, communication, collaboration, performance outcomes, stronger relationships with their team members while achieving outstanding results.