Leadership

Thursday Thoughts – Choose Courage

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“Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s the judgment that something else is more important than that fear.” Ambrose Redmoon

Ah, yes. Courage. Courage to fight for the mask mandates and vaccinations or courage to fight against them. Courage to be kind through adversity (wink wink). Courage to help with hurricane Ida. Courage to offer Afghan aid. Courage—it’s everywhere. 

How courageous are you when it comes to your business? You have the ability to be an industry influencer. Are you there yet? We’ve all seen the comfort zone graphics, but have you ever thought about how that applies to your business and your industry? If you’re not learning, innovating, and choosing courage then you’re losing ground and fast. Think of Netflix. They went from sending DVDs in the mail to live-streaming. They had the courage to adapt and change. Apple had the courage to remove the keypad. That was one heck of a courageous move and it worked! On the flip side, complacency kills: Blockbuster, Sears, ToysRUS stayed in their comfort zones.

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Your deliberate courage AND that of your employees have the ability to change the world around you. I’ve been told time and time again how courageous I was to quit my principal job to move into business consulting. With that courage has come incredible growth, re-energizing passion, and so much fun! My desire to help business leaders innovate and influence through courage is at an all-time high. Great things can happen when you take the leap.
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How to choose courage:

  1. Encourage innovation, celebrate mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. Growth occurs through adversity.
  2. Block off time to reflect throughout the week. What can you do better? Where are your inefficiencies? What have you tried? What worked? What hasn’t worked? Where are other businesses within your industry headed? Can you beat them? Do you have a trusted advisor to help you with these questions? Why not?
  3. Listen earnestly. Ask your employees for their great ideas. 
  4. When trying something new, define the metrics and celebrate small and big successes.
  5. Stop talking and start doing! 

Are you asking yourself, “How do I do this?” I can help!

laura.colbert@strategicleadersacademy.com

About Author

Laura Colbert

Laura Colbert works with business leaders who want to develop more buy-in, belonging, and collaboration so that they can build productive teams to take their organizations to new heights.

Laura is a UW-Madison graduate, has two masters degrees, is a combat veteran, public speaker, wife, and mother of three.

Author of How to Pee Standing Up/ Sirens: An alarming memoir of combat and coming back home. She has appeared on PBS, Veteran Radio, NPR and a variety of podcasts.

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