Fireman_sWe have many opportunities to display courage as a leader but in many cases we squander the chance to stand tall. We allow that little voice to make us stand down. For many of us the suppression of courage started at a young age where we directly or indirectly experienced events that instilled fear. Some of us still lack the courage to deal with bullies, bosses and certain situations. Below are a few questions that we must ask ourselves.

As leaders, do we stand up to our boss when he or she is dead wrong because they just don’t have all of the facts?
Are we scared to fire the employee that has been dead wood for the last five years?
Are we the type of people who will not ask a question at a leadership meeting when we have been complaining about an issue for the last year?
Are we reluctant to deal with confrontation and conflict?

As leaders, regardless if the discussion is about our professional or personal lives, we are exposed to situations where we must make tough decisions. When we allow people or situations to intimidate us we neutralize our effectiveness as leaders and erode our following. Fear can paralyze us to stay in our comfort zone but having the ability to persevere in the face of fear is courage.

Take heart, courage is in you! Remember, it all starts with a thought!

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear”          — Nelson Mandela