POWER OF COURAGE: Chapt.6

IMPORTANCE OF COURAGE

Throughout the ages, people have searched for the precise alchemy of ingredients that constitute great leadership. In measured proportions, great leaders are said to demonstrate bold but reasoned judgment, spirited but calculated risk-taking and an assertive but reflective disposition. Complicating the matter are the expectations and needs of those being led. Followers want leaders who make decisions decisively but inclusively, interpret situations with rational and emotional intelligence and exude confidence and humility.

The list of characteristics that comprise great leadership is so long and contradictory, that the aspiring leader is left to ask, "Where on earth do I start?" Fortunately, there is a clear starting point. One leadership characteristic—or more accurately, virtue—informs and strengthens all others: Courage.

Aristotle called courage the first virtue, because it makes all of the other virtues possible. In addition to being the most important human virtue, it is the most important business virtue, as well. Think about it: Other important business concepts like leadership, innovation and sales wither in the absence of courage. Leadership takes making bold and often unpopular decisions. Leadership takes courage. Innovation involves creating ground-breaking but tradition-defying ideas. Innovation takes courage. Sales requires being repeatedly rejected before closing a deal. Sales takes courage. Take away courage, and sales, innovation and leadership lose their potency. Contrary to popular belief, courage is a teachable and learnable skill, and most everyone has the capacity to be courageous. Moreover, nearly all courageous acts represent one or more of three types of courage:•

TRY Courage: The courage of initiative and action— making first attempts, pursuing pioneering efforts and stepping up to the plate.•

TRUST Courage: The courage of confidence in others— letting go of the need to control situations or outcomes, having faith in people, and being open to direction and change.

TAKE Courage: The courage of voice— raising difficult issues, providing tough feedback, and sharing unpopular opinions.There are a number of reasons why being courageous is so important. Being more courageous in your life will help you respond appropriately to risks and accomplish positive things in your life. Some other reasons among a dozen include:

1. Broadens Horizons: Being courageous means stepping out of your comfort zone. Any time you do, you allow yourself to be vulnerable and invite new opportunities to enter and affect your life. It makes you a more well-rounded person and broadens your experiences in your life. If you plan on facing your fears despite knowing the risks involved, you grow as a person and gain experience for future endeavours with less fear and more courage, people take on more challenging projects, deal better with change, and speak more willingly about important issues. In short, courageous people try more, trust more and talk more.

2. Deal Better With Failures: Once you decide to be courageous, you develop enough confidence that dealing with rejections becomes easier. Rejections and failures are a part of life, and dealing with them can be very difficult. People get demotivated or depressed, and fear of failure doesn't allow them to take risks. People fear what the world will say about them if they fail again and their self-esteem drops. Most of our dreams are killed by the words, "What would people think?" If the thoughts and opinions of strangers don't concern you, you can focus on fulfilling your dreams and goals. Once you decide to be courageous, you develop enough confidence that dealing with rejections becomes easier. Rejections and failures are a part of life, and dealing with them can be very difficult. People get demotivated or depressed, and fear of failure doesn't allow them to take risks. People fear what the world will say about them if they fail again and their self-esteem drops. Most of our dreams are killed by the words, "What would people think?" If the thoughts and opinions of strangers don't concern you, you can focus on fulfilling your dreams and goals.

3. Success Comes Easier: Success doesn't come easy to anyone. Being fearful and not a risk-taker doesn't help your cause. At least when you are being courageous, you are putting your hundred per cent into your work or any other thing you do. It makes you a more successful person because you're more likely to pursue your dreams and seize opportunities as they present themselves. By acknowledging your fears and apprehensions, either by writing them down or by sharing them with a supportive person, you empower yourself to be courageous despite feeling fearful and hence coming closer to your goals personally and professionally. Being bold and courageous means putting in that extra bit that makes you different from others.

4. Taking Responsibility:Taking responsibility is acknowledging and accepting the choices you have made, the actions you have taken, and the results they have led to. It means being willing to accept your mistakes or success without excuses and with self-confidence.Taking responsibility almost always has repercussions, and many people are scared to do so. It is essential to understand that taking responsibility for your actions doesn't have to be bad. In mostcases, people praise you for being courageous enough to stand up to yourself. Not only does it give others inspiration to do so, but your confidence in yourself also increases tremendously. Being courageous means having the confidence to take responsibility for your reactions.

5. Intelligent Decision Making: When you show courage, you don't feel ashamed of putting forward your thoughts in front of others. You feel confident enough to think and convince others that your plans and executions are innovative, and you are intelligent enough to handle situations efficiently. A keen sense of emotional intelligence is vital to being a leader who can collaborate with others to achieve organizational goals. It comes and keeps developing with age and maturity. When facing a crisis, you need to be prepared to lead under pressure and remain composed. This is when a courageous person comes forward acts effectively under a massive amount of stress.

6. Brings Happiness: Living a courageous life can help live a growth-oriented life backed by righteousness. When growth becomes the focus of life, an individual does not care about the difficulties and hardships. They can overcome the challenges of life with ease. They arealways happy and satisfied with who they are and what they have. They garner such feelings because they believe that whatever they have achieved in life is a result of sheer hard work and honesty. Courageous people always accept their fears and vulnerabilities, and therefore it is easier for them to get rid of negative feelings and vulnerabilities. Being courageous is not easy to achieve, but it's not impossible. Here are some ways that can help you come closer to being courageous:

1. Realizing Your Fears: Avoiding fears makes them stronger and scarier. Exposing yourself to things that you fear can help the brain become desensitized to the fear and make it easier to face. Learning to work through anxiety and step beyond it is about retraining your mind.

2. Be Mindful: When you find yourself overwhelmed by fear, using the practices learned from meditation and mindfulness can help you overcome. Mindfulness can help change your brain to deal with anxiety more effectively. Give yourself time to learn this skill, and it takes practice.

3. Be Forgiving To Yourself: You are human at the end of the day. If you can accept yourself as you are, you will have much higher self-esteem and confidence even if you are trying to improve in some areas. Developing courage is a slow process. If you develop such positive virtues from the beginning, they can help you greatly in future. Check how to make children understand what courage is.