If you lack courage, does it mean you will never be a great
leader? In the US, it appears that
common sense says courage is a profound part of being a great leader. As a result, aspiring leaders go about
their day to demonstrate their courage to the world. However, when you look at many of the most effective
leaders, perhaps it is
not courage that informs us of their greatness.
What is Courage?
One definition says it is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a
person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear. Bravery
is often synonymous with courage.
Another definition says: to have courage of one’s convictions,
to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.
On the surface, this sounds like a complete logical formula
for leadership. It is possible for
a person to spend their day seeking ways to face difficulty, danger and pain in
a way that others believe they are qualified to be the leader. Or they think they have to pontificate
their beliefs to convince others they have strong convictions. For example, a vegetarian may believe
they have to convince others that being a vegetarian is the best diet. If that vegetarian can convert a
portion of the people who will listen, they can be seen as a leader. If they are criticized, that may
validate the need to show more conviction in order to prove they are the best
candidate for leadership. Yay
vegetarians!
For some of you, it may be traditional to leave the room
when your vegetarian friend starts to rant about why vegetarianism is the best
diet. For others, you politely nod
your head as you take a bite out of your perfectly cooked and seasoned filet
mignon.
In the workplace, many people consider themselves
leaders. Yet, they have the same
behavior as the vegetarian. In the worse case, the self-proclaimed leader is
the person who believes they have to be the smartest in the room. In that case, they may use intimidation
to demonstrate their power and intellectual prowess. And when criticized for not listening to their direct
reports, they believe they have to overcome criticism with courage. While I wish this were an exaggeration,
it happens too often. Because that
person is known for confidence and courage, they are promoted to boss – the
faithful leader.
On the other hand, in Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, he talks about, what he calls, a level five
leader. A level five leader is
someone who empowers people and develops other leaders. When that leader retires, the company
remains on an excellent path to long-term success. In Collins’ book, his research showed that level five
leaders built companies that rose from good to great. And the greatness continued after that leader left. The irony is he never classified level
five leaders as courageous. They
were seen as humble people with great communication skills and great listeners
with an open door policy.
Furthermore, Collins’ noted the charismatic leader with
great courage often created a culture of “yes-men”. People just followed what the leader said. If the leader was not available, people
were uncomfortable making decisions.
And when that leader retired, the company underperformed.
With that said, while courage can surely make you look good
to the masses, it doesn’t mean you are an effective leader. Perhaps the greatest leaders have been
people who had no desire to be the smartest in the room. They had a vision they stood for. That vision became a platform for
others to shine. For others to
shine, it would be imperative for the leader to give a voice to everyone. That way new ideas are discovered and
vetted.
If you observe closer, you may find the best leader to be a
person committed to building a legacy that can only happen with the help of
others. More importantly, the
leader is willing to put their butts on the line and be responsible for
everything. While being
responsible could appear to be courageous, the most responsible leaders know
they have to take care of their people.
As long as a leader takes care of the people, the people will take care
of the company. Therefore, you may find that the greatest leaders are people
who stand for a vision, their people and assume responsibility no matter what
happens.
In other words, courage is about the leader who looks
good. Encourage is about taking
care of others to ensure they look good.
What do you
think? I would love to hear your feedback. And I’m open to ideas. Or if you
want to write me about a specific topic, let me know.
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