Leadership is hard. It means making difficult decisions, stepping out of your comfort zone, and standing on the edge of your greatness.
Leadership requires that you have guts.
There are many who have the title of leader. But the only ones who truly deserve the title are those who can weather the storms and stand in their struggles.
Because true leadership requires great men and women to bring all the courage, boldness, toughness, determination and audacity they can summon.
Here are some of the qualities of a gutsy leader. Cultivate them now to become everything you can be:
The COURAGE to change direction when things are on the wrong track.
When something isn’t working, you need a leader who has the courage to see the need for change and bring up the benefits of going in another direction. It’s the kind of courage that shows up when you most need to shake things up and get back on the path toward something great. You’ll never do anything worthwhile in this world without courage.
The BOLDNESS to face reality when resources are strained.
When money or another vital resource is dwindling, you need to be bold enough not to hide in the spreadsheets but to come out and share the hard truth. You can admit that things are not as they should be, but in a way that is unafraid and focused on solutions, with faith in your team’s ability to rally even at the last minute to turn things around. To be bold is to always be facing forward.
The TOUGHNESS to be more stubborn than your difficulties.
When you’re facing obstruction and obstacles, handicaps and complications, you need to be the leader who says “Times are tough but we are tougher.”
The DETERMINATION to pursue new opportunities in the face of opposition.
People don’t generally like change, so it’s up to the leader to push past the status quo and make things happen. It’s a job that takes tenacity and spirit. Some leaders succeed because they are destined, but most because they are determined.
The AUDACITY to say no unapologetically.
Some leaders want to say yes to everything—but when they do, they take away their ability to set priorities. Every great advance in leadership came from someone who found the nerve to simply say “no”—as a complete sentence, without any justification or explanation or apology. When you make judicious use of “no,” you set the priorities that allow you to say a bigger “yes” to the most compelling ideas and vision.
If you’re serious about leadership, always remember that it has to come from deep inside. It takes courage, boldness, toughness, determination and audacity, as the saying goes: no guts, no glory.
Lead From Within: Great leaders aren’t always the ones who win, but those with the most guts.
N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading:
- How to Become A Leader You Admire
- The Truth About Courageous Leadership
- Courage Is The Key To Fearless Leadership
- Leadership Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
Vishal Garg
15. Nov, 2016
Hello lolly
i am agree with your point that leadership is hard .
Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.
Leadership means different things to different people around the world, and different things in different situations. For example, it could relate to community leadership, religious leadership, political leadership, and leadership of campaigning groups.
Gagan Chauhan
17. Nov, 2016
Passion can get you started but it takes courage to keep going. Brilliant post, Lolly! Thanks for sharing this with us. Cheers
seattle motivational speaker
17. Nov, 2016
Lolly, you are amazing. Every step is clear to me and your post surely short (I mean unique) and effective also. Keep it up!
Martina
11. Sep, 2019
Insightful post, very true and compelling.
Steve Harper
11. Mar, 2020
Outstanding post Lolly. I am curious, what you suggest to leaders who recognize they haven’t yet found their guts?
I experience this a lot with the leaders I am asked to work with – people who have been promoted to their level of incompetence and they are scared sh**less.
Personally I love these situations because those leaders haven’t yet broken the trust of their team and come prepared to find their metal and become the leaders that they know their teams want and need. It takes work but if you dig deep enough you can help them find those guts and discover their courage along the way to become the leader they’ve always wanted and knew they could be.