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5 Ways Courageous Leadership Evokes Action and Engagement
By: Bill Hogg
Courageous leaders set the tone for organizational performance. When leaders establish themselves as a strong and courageous personality they set the tone for the rest of the company and shape the overall culture.
Dithering about decisions or not being willing to make the difficult decisions causes employees to question your leadership skills and impacts your ability to execute your vision. Therefore, leaders need to develop leadership traits and take actions that will evoke action and engage employees.
Courageous leadership traits
There are a number of common traits that courageous leader possess. It is these traits that make them transformational leaders and put them in a position to inspire their employees to engage in the vision and culture they have created for the company.
To be a courageous leader you need to:
- Make tough decisions. Are you a little gun shy when the going gets tough?
- Anticipate potential issues and deal with them quickly and efficiently. Do you wait for issues to arise before addressing them?
- Take risks in the appropriate situations. How often do the risky decisions you make yield positive results?
- Own the mistakes you make and take ownership when things do not go as planned. Do you get caught in the blame game?
- Be innovative and entertain new ideas. When was the last time you tried a new strategy?
- Be a lifelong learner. Are you part of a mentorship program? Are you receiving professional coaching? What are you doing to continue to develop as a leader?
5 ways courageous leadership impacts engagement and action
Courageous leadership elevates companies. It puts them in a position to grow your collective consciousness and is the spark that ignites employee engagement and action. To be a courageous leader you need to:
1. Set the tone:
Courageous leaders make an impression and set the tone for the direction of the company. Tell your employees what you expect and the actions you want them to execute. What tone are you conveying to your employees?
2. Set clear expectations:
Have confidence in your vision and clearly communicate your expectations for each level of your company. This makes it easier for them to achieve the results you want. Do your employees understand what is expected of them and have a clear vision of what success looks like in their role?
3. Ask for a commitment from your employees:
Ask your employees to commit to your vision. When they commit, they are agreeing to take the actions you ask of them to execute your vision. Are your employees committed to your direction? Is there resistance among the ranks?
4. Be visible:
Create personalized connections with your employees at all levels. Encourage them as individuals to buy into your vision and make the necessary steps to create change. When was the last time you had a one on one conversation with your front line employees?
5. Listen:
Courageous leaders are willing to listen to feedback from their management team. Employees that feel like they have input and can voice concerns will be more engaged in their role with the company. How often do you listen to your team or consider other perspectives?
Courageous leadership provide employees with a sense of belonging that is absent in most companies. Employees want to feel that what they do makes a difference. When leaders have the courage to be open, honest, and strong in their approach to leadership, they create an environment that evokes action and promotes employee engagement.
