Courage and the ‘Can of Worms’? – by Arnie Wohlgemut
Being a leader can be rewarding. It can also present you with the biggest challenges of your life. Courage is the quality that distinguishes great leaders from excellent managers explains Bill George, a Harvard Business School Professor.
“Courage is neither an intellectual quality, nor can it be taught in the classroom. It can only be gained through multiple experiences involving personal risk-taking. Courage comes from the heart.”
Courage is a choice. Our willingness to be courageous is impacted by our state of mind at that point in time. Courageous leaders lead with principles–their True North–that guide them when a challenge needs to be addressed.
“I opened the can of worms. They just sit there, the worms. Hardly the chaos that’s been advertised.”
Anonymous
Courage demands wisdom. How many times have you looked at what a staff member was doing, or what is transpiring at a meeting, then wondered if you should “open that can of worms”?
This is where wisdom from experience comes in.
Courage is taking the opportunity to address or correct what you see happening. Timing is everything. It is not something you should do with rudeness or abrupt disrespect.
“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”
Dave Gambrill
Courage leads to changes. There-in lies the solution that we are all looking for: to have something change, requires change. If we don’t take action, how could we ever expect things to be different, have people behave differently, or even have people understand your expectations. Nothing changes, if nothing changes. Make a decision and change something.
“Do not complain about what you permit!”
Sion Alford
Courageous leaders don’t need to complain. Often the first thing we may do is complain. We often vent about what we see happening and about the lack of change. We may also complain about the lack of senior management’s will to change. Before complaints start, Courageous leaders already have a plan to make a change.
Change starts with you! Stop complaining, summon the courage within you, take up the challenge.
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