Lead with courage

COURAGE is a necessary, but not an ordinary trait. It is easy to talk rough and tough, grand stand on social media, but courage is not mere words . . . it is bold and strategic action. Courageous leadership is daring to be vulnerable, face the brutal realities, think abundance, mobilise with vision and model the way.

Courageous leadership is daring to be a learner, living through the struggle of confronting ignorance and seeking to do right. It is about standing up when it matters most, being daring to see when others merely look. It is taking responsibility when others are apportioning blame. Courage is building with the stones that others throw at you.

To be great dare to be courageous and lead. Courage is not just about blending in, but being willing to stand up and stand out, if necessary. Defy the bounds of negativity, your limitations and occupy your space. Dare to confront the fearfully impossible things and if necessary do them. Dare to lead with courage.

Mr Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the World War II. He was elected Prime Minister at a critical time, when Britain was looking for courageous leadership and the war seemed all but lost. You can start a war, but you can never predict how the war will progress and what its end will be.

On May 13, 1940, three days after assuming office Churchill delivered his destiny-defining courageous speech in the House of Commons. The speech profiled a leader who had courage and was ready to take the challenge at a critical moment in history.

Mr Churchill speech reads:

“I say to the House, as I have said to ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

“You ask, what is our policy? I say: It is to wage war, by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength that God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.

“You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory. Victory at all costs—victory in spite of all terrors—victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory, there is no survival.

“Let that be realised. No survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge, the impulse of the ages, that mankind shall move forward towards its goal.

“I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. I feel entitled at this juncture, at this time, to claim the aid of all and to say, ‘Come, then, let us go forward together with our united strength.’”

Hope

Leading with courage means that you do not lose hope or stop believing in greatness, no matter how tough things get. Hope will never make you ashamed. Glance at the realities and challenges, but never lose the hope that you will survive and thrive. Attack despair with hope. Confront challenges with hope. Keep hope alive. It is when you are going through the storm that hope must be your anchor. Hope sees beyond the storm.

Talk

Courageous leadership is not about fogging, lying or glossing over reality. It is talking straight and taking bold action. It is daring to face reality. Leading with courage means that we are able to confront reality as it is and not as we wish it to be. In the case of Mr Churchill, he was point blank. There was no need to take his nation down the garden path. The nation was at war. He stated his clear promise — blood, toil, tears and sweat. Great leadership is not mere motivational speaking. Churchill did not give false hope. He faced the brutal facts.

Courageous leaders do not run away from reality. They do not use hope as a bluffing strategy. They talk straight and know that the first step in courageous leadership is defining reality.

Leaders speak the language of courage and adopt the vocabulary of greatness. You cannot lead speaking and behaving like a victim. There is nothing impossible until you name it so. Have the courage to break barriers and limitations. Courageous leaders speak and follow through with aligned action.

Heart

Leading with courage means leading with heart and not hurt. Leadership is not just cataloging complaints. Hurt if not addressed easily develops into offence and then graduates into bitterness. Bitterness is deep-seated, advanced and complicated and troublesome ill-feeling. Leading from hurt causes pain, retribution and other complicated and unfortunate leadership behaviours. Hurt people tend to hurt and abuse other people.

Courageous leadership is leading from the heart. It is leading with fortitude and values. It is leading with a heart for the greater good. Courageous leadership is daring to see beyond the current challenges and having the staying power to work through it all.

Move

Courageous leaders take action and move. They do not wait to be moved or stay in one place hoping things will move. Leadership is not just about being lucky. It is moving and doing what is necessary to profit from the much you get. Make moves with the pieces in your hands and where you stand. Take bold action where you are.

Courage is the bold action that results in movement when others seek shelter. Do not stay in one place and hope that things will change and be any different. Move and keep moving. It is better to keep moving than standing in the shoes of a victim.

Leading with courage is choosing to take bold action. Waste no more time in idle purposeless debates, frustrated dialogue and selfdoubt. No discussion with impossibility-thinkers will ever take a strategic note. Life is big, beautiful and abundant.

The smallest world you can live in is the one created by those who think small, talk micro and believe in nothing, except fate. Be courageous and get into action. Think big, so much that you have no time to doubt. Do the impossible and you will see the best possible. Life is best when courageously you are stretching reality and creating things, models, products, markets and institutions that matter.

Decide

Courageous leadership is decisive. All it takes is a decision and taking a different posture in life. Challenge your limitations. Stop these little pity-parties. Drain complaining and “workless-wishing” out of your system. Stay long enough at any problem thinking of solutions, turning the challenge into cash and not stuck in a ball of frustrated emotions and recreational complaining.

Greatness is not far or so fearful that it cannot be attained. It is a journey you take daily as you challenge yourself and your limitations. You are powerful beyond measure. If you knew what you are capable of doing you would live everyday in awe. All the limitations that you put on yourself are self-imposed.

Anytime you blame anyone or anything you empower other people or things to control your life. You are powerless when you cede your power. Break the chain of limitation by dumping the mindset of a victim. Decide to adopt a growth mindset. Keep improving and expanding your boundaries. Dump the fixed mindset. You are not your past, your fate, or your pain. Any time you really choose, you can start your life on a new trajectory. All it takes is daring to be a courageous leader. Committed to your greatness

◆ Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, au-thor, and a virtual, hybrid and in-person workshop facilitator. He is a cutting-edge strategy, team-building and organisation development facilitator and consultant. His life purpose is to inspire and promote greatness. He can be reached at: mkamwendo@gmail.com and His web-site is: www.miltonkamwendo.com