The Courage To Succeed

Thursday 4 October, 2007

by Beryl Shaw

It takes courage to succeed when you are at the top of the decision making tree, in any business or organisation. With every decision you make you lay yourself on the line.

Is this a decision that will enhance this company, or will my decision cost money without making enough? Will this choice enhance the potential of great relationships between all levels of our management structure, or distance people further from one another? If I hire this particular person, will they build this business, or break it down?

• Courage is what you display when you feel the next step is too hard, but you screw up your strength and take that step.

And when you've made your choice how do you best follow up? Is it beneficial to be a hands-on boss, or would delegation serve better the purpose you see from the top of your particular tree?

• Courage is what you show when you simply keep going, making the best decisions you are capable of, taking the best advice available to you, although you probably don't know that is courageous, because you're just too busy putting one foot in front of the other. And no one uses the word ‘courage' when they're speaking about our large money distributing structures.

Or maybe you are one of those enlightened CEOs who has recognised that there is courage in every choice. And in the choices made by your associates. Because each person carries their own hidden fears that what they are doing may not work out.

• Courage is what you have when you do know it, you've been practising all your life and you're determined that, no matter how high the obstacles, you will always keep going, because you have a goal.

We speak all the time about goals, but are we only talking about the bottom line? Or do we recognise that the growth of the individual serves the growth of the organisation?

• Courage is sometimes in making a choice for the welfare of the worker. And paradoxically, this choice benefits everyone else, and the business at large. Because goals are best served by people who feel gratitude that they are seen as a valuable person. And they keep doing their very best work, not just because they must, but because they care for the one who cares for them.

Where does your own recognition come from? How do you know when you've done a good job?

• When you've screwed up your courage and kept going, continued doing the best you can and in the interest of others, you may just find, around the corner, someone else who cares enough, that they are able to see your courage and tell you about it. And that's when you win.

Sometimes we're faced with the necessity to make changes. Courage is not only found in heroic actions, large ideas. It may be in the smallest of changes. We certainly know that making big, across the board, organisational change requires courage. You might fail. Oh yes, but you might also be making the best decision of your life. You can only move forward, or stay the same. And you know what ‘the same' will be.
The fact that you're thinking of making changes means you already know ‘the same' is no longer good enough. So you gather around you the best people, with the best advice and the best research available.
You make your decision - and you need to have faith it will be the right one.

• To make a decision for positive change takes courage.

After that you only have to keep up the momentum.

• Have courage
  
  Be the best boss you can be. Take necessary, careful risks. And remember how it feels to win.
  
• Hold onto your remembrance of your feelings of courage
  
  Re-visit your accomplishments. Have the courage to know it was not all a fluke.

Source:ceoonline.com