The following section offers tips to become more courageous. More can be found in Chapter 9 of Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing the Potential of Teams and Individuals.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
The word courage in Old French, “corage,” is defined as “heart and spirit.”
Courageous leadership is a combination of action and behavior, not status. Most people want to follow the path of least resistance. However, leadership requires you to move from your comfort zone. Courage is having fear and acting anyway. It is the exercise of courage that moves leaders into more productive relationships and better results.
Bamboo Rule: The highest form of courage is to be true to yourself.
In what areas of your life do you need to stretch your courage? Do you need to:
- speak up?
- do the right thing?
- do the unpopular thing?
- participate?
Courage can help you:
- express your ideas and thoughts
- lead your team in a different direction
- learn new skills
- be your authentic self
- make decisions with limited information
- move beyond a plateau
- change a habit that’s not serving you well
6 Strategies to Move out of Your Comfort Zone
- Recall your past courageous acts
- Find a role model
- Get a coach
- Spend time with people who encourage you
- Start a courage journal
- Start with small steps
