Do you feel appreciated for your hard work? Does that happen very often and if so, do you do the same for others? During times of uncertainty and disruption, it’s even more important to recognise that people are our greatest asset and also, they need to be recognised for what they have done. Developing your skills as a courageous leadership starts with acknowledging small things each and every day which will culminate in an unstoppable high performance team that can make a huge impact. Become the leader you were destined to become!

“The way to develop the best in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” Charles Schwab

Small acts of courage is where Courageous Leadership begins!

Sabina Nawaz aContributor in Forbes shows why Martin Luther King was a courageous leader.” For me, King is synonymous with courage. Which got me thinking: yes, it takes courage to inspire others, but we often misunderstand the kind of courage it takes to lead. The courage to lead does not just involve bold, public-facing bravery, but also a quieter, more introspective kind of courage. With King, in particular, we may think of his seminal moment addressing a crowd of 250,000 people from the Lincoln Memorial on a hot August day in 1963. But a moment like that was the culmination of a thousand smaller acts of bravery that came before it. Imagine the first time Dr. King had to step forward, look directly into the eyes of an adversary and say, “I will not back down.” These small acts of courage are where courageous leadership begins. 

Strong leaders know that daily acts of showing up, and revealing your thoughts, ideals and principles, are what’s most important.

Courage is a muscle that gets stronger each time you use it.

Fostering a ‘culture of courage’ is mission-critical

Margie Warrell bestselling author of “Stop Playing Safe,” shows “7 ways great leaders inspire courage not fear” in Real Leaders. In your organization, chances are many employees are feeling more anxious than this time a year ago. Uncertainty and disruption do that. Its why now more than ever, as people are forced to meet from behind screens without access to the regular tough points with colleagues, a chief role of leaders is to allay people’s fears and fuel their courage! This requires being extra intentional about the psychological barriers that keep people from collaborating across remote teams and bringing their boldest thinking to the challenges at hand. After all, it’s not where people are working that matters most. It’s how they’re working. Fostering a ‘culture of courage’ is mission-critical. Here are seven ways to do just that:

• Lead by example… try to get it right, not be right 
• Reward non-conformity… make it safe for loyal dissent 
• Show you care… connect from the heart to the heart 
• Destigmatize failure… and harness the value of ‘miss-steps’ 
• Nurture belonging… ensure everyone feels valued
• Delegate decision making… treat people as trust-worthy
• Rally your team… get behind a compelling mission 

People are the number one asset in your company right now. Unlocking their full potential requires working every day to nurture the conditions for them to engage in courageous conversations, make better decisions, and do their best work. Small actions can make a bigger impact than grand gestures. Don’t underestimate them. 

Lifting up takes leaders further than beating down

Leadership Freak shows “12 sentence starters that inspire courage.” Any bully can kick someone in the pants. It takes courageous leadership to inspire. If you encouraged a team member once a week, you’d do it 50 times a year. Courage takes teams further than timidity. To encourage is to inspire courage. Negative energy is like running with rocks in your pocket. Here are 12 sentence starters that inspire courage:

• I appreciate…………
• I notice……………….
• You’re great at……
• Thank you for …………(be specific)
• I’m impressed with…………..
• You help us get where we want to when you……………..
• You’re making progress on…………..
• You encourage others when……………..
• Great effort when………………..
• Congratulations on……………….
• You’re making a difference for………………
• I’m encouraged when you …………………

Give yourself permission to encourage imperfect people. Don’t use someone’s weakness in one area as an excuse to withhold encouragement in another

Courageous Leadership are needed NOW!

Being a leader that is able to motivate and encourage others is not something that happens accidentally. There are key traits which most inspiring leaders share and by cultivating these traits you will improve your leadership skills so that you can bring out the best in yourself and others:

• Look Towards the Future
• Work On Self Improvement
• Polish Your People Skills
• Take Risks
• Make Health and Wellbeing A Priority

And, we need to look ahead to ensure we have future leaders and generations who will lead with courage. Like any courageous leadership skill, courage is something that is learned and refined over time and it should form part of a leader’s inventory. Having Courage Intelligence will meet that need! The Courage Intelligence Program will provide future focussed leaders with an opportunity to build your courage as a skill.

Stay Kind. Stay Courageous.

Sonia x