Courage | A Sales Guy

Looking for Courage

I have never hired for courage before. I have looked back at my past job descriptions and the word courage is no where to be found. This bothers me.

I’m going to start hiring for courage. I’m also going to start looking for more of it in my relationships and the people I commit to.

Courage is a powerful trait. Courage is the fuel that enables a lot of things. It takes courage to:

Say no to a customer
Not to come down on price
Disagree with your boss
Suggest a new product
Show your weaknesses
Start something new
Start over
Try a different approach
Fire a customer
Take risks
Hold your ground when you believe you are right
Admit your wrong
Not go with the crowd
Highlight errors and mistakes
Express unpopular opinions
Call out the elephant in the room
Be accountable for your mistakes (it’s easy to be accountable for your successes)
Put others first
Try new things
Accept criticism
Start a business
Be different
Be uncomfortable
Try
Fail

Courage is at the heart of all great efforts. Courage allows us to do the hard stuff. It allows us to be OK with being uncomfortable.

All the great successes I have witnessed have come about because someone had the courage to do something different, to challenge the status quo, to take a risk, to be willing to fail.

Change and growth can not take root without courage. Knowing this why aren’t we all looking for the courageous?

I know I’m going to start!

May 5, 2010 | Filed under: Business Performance,Hiring/Firing,Leadership | View Comments |

Do You Have the Guts?

As a leader . . .
Do you have the guts to hire a contrarian?
Do you have the guts to have people on the team who will disagree with you?
Do you have the guts to actively look for people more talented than you?
Do you have the guts to hire someone who will break the rules and deviate from process if it means winning? Will you celebrate them for doing it?
Do you have the guts to add the chaos that comes with spontaneity to your organization?
Do you have the guts to hire someone who will take risks and fail taking them?
Do you have the guts to have people on the team who think and act completely different than you?
Do you have the guts to have a subordinate tell you, you are wrong, EVEN if they are wrong?
Do you have the guts to let someone else pull all the strings?
Do you have the guts to get out of the way?
Do you have the guts to say, “I don’t know?” and ask the team for help?
Do you have the guts to be uncomfortable?
Do you have the guts?

I don’t care what your business card says. If you don’t have the guts, you aren’t a leader. You may be a good manager. You may be good with spread sheets and PowerPoint. You may be good at office politics, but you aren’t a leader.

It takes guts to be a leader. It takes real strength to be a leader. Unfortunately, these characteristics scare people, they scare companies. They disrupt the status quo. They challenge the systems. The create chaos. They create unpredictability. Corporations thrive on predictability and the status quo and unfortunately the cost to maintaining the status quo is the loss of great leaders.

Do you have the guts?

August 31, 2009 | Filed under: Leadership,Personal Development | View Comments |