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April 6, 2022 A Month of Courage (plus, my new eBook!)

Do you have days when you’re feeling timid or unworthy? Are there times when you’re afraid to participate in a certain meeting or take a certain action? Do you occasionally feel like you’re the only one in the room that doesn’t “get it,” while everyone else is coasting along with ease?

Believe me, you are worthy, your input is valuable, and you deserve to be in the room alongside everyone else. The problem isn’t you, it’s your courage.

Courage comes in many forms. It takes guts to ask for a raise or negotiate a severance package. It takes self-assuredness to lead a team project, give a major presentation, or engage in a difficult conversation. Courage can mean many different things, and has largely to do with mindset (yes, it is possible to train yourself to take on this mindset!)

Many of us suffer from self-consciousness or a lack of courage. We’re our own harshest critics. Whenever I deliver a presentation or workshop on my book, The Ten-Minute Leadership Challenge, I usually ask about the leadership attributes the people in the room would like to work on. One of the most common areas of improvement is courage.

Because of this widespread desire to become more courageous, I decided to compile the decades of information and techniques I’ve acquired into an eBook: A Quick Guide to Courage. This eBook is an easy read—46 pages filled with illustrations and activities—but it’s packed with information. It also includes links to others resources, such as my video on the 5 Ps of Courage.

To celebrate the launch of this book, I’m declaring April “Courage Month!” This month, all my blog posts will be dedicated to an aspect of courage. I’m also offering my book at a special discounted price.

Let’s celebrate courage this month, and carry that courage with us into the year ahead!

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE.

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January 24, 2018 Your COURAGE Workbook, Part 4: COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP

Practicing Courageous Leadership

The wrap-up of my COURAGE Workbook series dives into courageous leadership. Even if you are not a manager or “boss,” you can still be a leader. Whether you’re heading up a project or you’re the office go-to expert on a certain computer program, you are a leader and leaders must act with courage.

Why courageous leadership?

Without courageous leaders, the workplace stagnates. Bold ideas and innovation are ignored in favor of “we’ve always done it this way” methods. On the other hand, bold leaders embrace change, empower their team, and forge ahead, even when it involves some amount of risk.

Courageous leaders also stick up for their team. They are advocates for others, which means occasionally putting themselves on the line.

Bold leaders are not afraid to admit when they’ve made a mistake. Rather than try to blame others, they accept responsibility and then move forward, looking for solutions to the problem.

As a leader, how will you act courageously?

  1. Have you ever had someone advocate for you (recommending you for a job/task, sticking up for your abilities, trusting you to do something even if others had doubt)? How did it feel? How can you pass on the favor to someone else?

 

  1. Commit to embracing bold ideas. How will you encourage others to bring forward their thoughts? How will you foster an atmosphere of open communication and idea-sharing?

 

 

  1. Courageous leadership often involves speaking up, whether you’re discussing an idea, a person’s role, or a big change. Identify your next “speaking up” opportunity (a staff meeting, a one-on-one, a coffee meeting, etc.). How will you commit to speaking up, despite the risks?

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM

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