Courage Is Intentional
Great Achievement Requires A Daily Grind Most Are Unwilling To Do
I consider the concept of Courageous Leadership to be the umbrella over all of leadership. You can know all of the theories, concepts and ideas behind leadership but if you cannot put those in action, with courage, it’s all for not.
Most reading this likely knows that “leader” with all the certificates on their “I Love Me” wall but when it comes to truly practicing that leadership, they fail.
Through the years, I’ve become somewhat more empathetic to these cowards because, in a sense, they are embracing the comfort of leadership and that is very easy to fall prey to.
After all, who doesn’t want to flow with the popular crowd, get along with the politicians, get that higher promotion and protect that pension?
I’ll tell you who…
Courageous men and women that understand what actual leadership is.
That is why to be courageous, you have to be intentional…you have to be willing to do the things very few will do and you have to break the default setting of comfort.
Have a Purpose
Purpose is the engine that drives motivation, direction, and resilience. When it gets tough, you better understand why you do what you do. People follow when their leaders stand for something that matters and leaders with purpose ensure that the long-term goals will always supersede the short-term wants and desires of cowards.
Integrity
It seems silly to emphasize integrity and ethics in leadership because everyone will recite this as a mandatory requirement for every leader but it’s not always that easy. Every leader will say you can’t steal from a crime scene but what about the more common aspects of integrity within leadership?
What about that use of force recommendation your chief sends back to you, telling you to change your opinion? After all, no one will ever know?
Or that employee that needs mentoring to improve, but rather than doing the hard work, you simply move them somewhere else without explanation?
Cowards let go of integrity when it could compromise their own status or even make things easier. Leaders must be very intentional to ensure that they never compromise this vital aspect of courageous leadership.
Empowerment
Control and micromanagement is an issue within leadership ranks and I understand this completely. You must be intentional about this, because after all, our default is to simply get it done the right way and the only way that can always be guaranteed is if you do it.
But when you don’t empower those around you, you destroy their morale, excitement, and the ability to be a part of the organization. More importantly, you stunt their development and growth. Courageous Leaders will always be looking for ways to get those around them involved.
Learn To Say No
There is a tendency, especially in high producing leaders, to say yes to just about anything in front of them. This is a fast recipe for mediocrity and failure. The beauty of understanding your purpose, is knowing where to focus your efforts. Any deviation from that focus will hurt the original purpose plus its ego on steroids. Courageous Leaders understand that they can’t do it all and they must focus in on the tasks that align with their purpose.
Intention Breeds Long-Term Success
A decade ago, I lost 100 pounds (now 85). Like most, I had tried many times before to shed some weight and it was always a temporary accomplishment.
What was the difference?
It was intention.
Just as you’ll never lose 20 or 30 pounds quickly, you learn that it takes a daily intention to often do things against your default setting (Carbs and Netflix) and continue that intention for the rest of your life.
Leadership is the same.
Courage, trust, authenticity, integrity, and just about everything else associated with great leaders is not developed in a seminar, book or over the course of a few weeks.
It is a lifetime pursuit, with intention, to do what most never accomplish.
Courageous Leadership is the self-actualization of leadership. It is the highest standard you can achieve because it encompasses all of the traits that we think of when we see great leaders and it places that leadership in a position to never fail…to always displays courage no matter the circumstances.
Conclusion
My purpose is to provide generations with the encouragement and development of Courageous Leadership through a platform and environment where leaders can continue their pursuit of courage. The beginning of that journey was a book and a seminar but that is not my purpose. Those are simply intentional efforts towards my purpose.
I’m a decade into this purpose and I’m not even close to fulfilling it. But, I do things each day with intention to accomplish it (this article was my intentional act today). The journey will continue and it will involve additional seminars, more books, online training, coaching, and a digital platform for Courageous Leaders but that will not happen quickly.
My purpose will happen over the course of a lifetime while taking intentional actions every day in pursuit of that purpose.
What about you?
What is your purpose and what are you doing today to accomplish it?
Plug in to our Podcast wherever you listen to them at “Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates”
If you haven’t read the book that started this movement, you can get it here. If you can’t afford it, I’ll send it to you.
Encourage your agency or conference to host our training. It will throw gasoline on the match you have already lit.
If you need anything, call me. My number is located at the top of the main website and you can reach me through any of the contact pages as well.
And always remember, Lead On & Stay Courageous!
Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance.
If courage is the house that all leadership lives in, then integrity is the electricity that powers it! You can never get past that foundational truth, regardless of the title in front of your name or the letters behind your name. Thank you for this great article, brother!
How do'n, years ago I was restarting a lift station and the pump control was in the company office storage area. Where all past thought goes to die. I saw a book which I think might have the same title as this post. I took it and I might have put it in the boiler room. I will look for it tomorrow. It was paperback and had a man in a suit with his back to the reader. His gaze was off the the right. Now that I am older and hope to retire most people look up to me even though I am not titled a leader, whether I like it or not.