Courage is one of the most important leadership qualities. It is courage that causes the leader to launch and is also what causes people to rally around the banner of the leader. The leadership quality of courage, wonderfully enough can be developed.
Courage is not something you are born with but it is something you can learn. Here are some keys to courage.
1) Courageous People are Bold: Courage is something that is a habit. You can develop the habit of courage by practicing it. Whenever you have a tendency to hesitate or back off from a challenge, force yourself to go forward. Practice boldness. Practice audacity.
Somehow when you launch yourself continually, things seem to work for you. Forces and people and circumstances conspire together to help you accomplish things in ways that you cannot now dream of.
2) Courageous People Take Action: A second key to courage is the willingness to initiate and take action. They don’t wait for someone else to do something. Leaders are attack oriented.
3) Courageous People Stay The Course: One mark of courageous people is the ability to stay the course. This is often called courageous patience. No matter how tough it gets, no matter how much tension or stress you face, stay the course and hang in there. Sometimes if you stay the course long enough and hard enough the sun will break through the clouds and things will happen for you.
4) Courageous People Take Risks: Remember that the future belongs to the risk takers. There is no greatness in life amongst those who avoid taking risks. Now that doesn’t mean that you have to risk life, limb and everything you own. It just means that you take calculated risks in the direction of moving forward. Do everything possible to minimize risks. Consider the worst possible outcome but then dare to go forward.
Perhaps no other quality distinguishes leaders from non-leaders than their willingness and their daring to push forward.
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