4 Building Blocks of Courage

As the globe begins to shake faster and faster, the answer is not to hunker down and erect barriers, but to take action. “Our world needs leaders capable of collaborating with other cultures sand taking prudent risks to create a new range of opportunities,” says Blythe McGarvie author of Shaking the Globe. That kind of leadership requires courage.

McGarvie describes courage as a firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty.” A courageous leader understands “that it takes personal risk or sacrifice to make a difference.” McGarvie offers four building blocks of courage to encourage you to boost your courageousness:

1. Competence. Do you set the bar for your accomplishments high and find ways to tackle them realistically? The key to building a reputation for competence is to do what you say you’re going to do—while building new capabilities for your organization in the process.
2. Curiosity. Amar Bose once said, “I never went into business to make money. I went into business so that I could do interesting things that hadn’t been done before.” What drives the kinds of projects or responsibilities for which you strive? Are you receptive to new ideas, both your own and those originating from your colleagues? As you develop your listening and analytical skills and pursue your curiosity, you will be amazed at the new opportunities to be tapped.
3. Caring. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz said he “wanted to build the kind of company that my father never got the chance to work for, in which people were respected.” Schultz wants to have his employees care as much about the business as he does. He willingly takes the blame for bad ideas to create a safe environment for his employees to be creative.
4. Perseverance. Sometimes courage means having the drive to take on even the most daunting of tasks: admitting that we are wrong once in a while. But, courage also means not giving up in the face of high hurdles. Next time you’re faced with an obstacle—whether that might be a sand trap or an unhappy board—square up and be prepared to give it your best shot.

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