Leadership and Courage

Most people associate the word sensei with teacher. That works. If a leader is someone who's able to attract willing followers, then teaching and mentoring are essential skills for the effective leader. You attract willing followers by sharing. You share your knowledge and experience. You share your talents, your skills, and abilities. Most of all, you share your courage, compassion, and wisdom. Sensei literally translates as "one who went before," and that's not a bad definition of an effective leader. A long time ago, a wise man named Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War, "A leader leads by example, not by force." If you want people to follow you, then be an example of what you expect from them. Or as we say in the dojo, "If you're gonna talk the talk, you better walk the walk." The only way to share courage is by example. If you expect people to act with courage, be courageous. As a genuine leader, your followers certainly expect that from you. There are 3 types of courage. Heroic courage is obvious. That's what you see when a firefighter runs into a burning building. Artistic courage is the courage to expose your ideas to public scrutiny. It's the courage to explore and develop your talents, skills, and abilities. In business, it's the courage to transform your ideas into products and services and then test those ideas in the public market. Moral courage is doing the right thing, even when that's not comfortable, expedient, or popular. One more thing you should know: courage is not the absence of fear. The absence of fear is stupidity. Rational people experience fear. It's natural. It's part of our survival mechanism. You develop courage by facing your fears and doing what it takes to get where you want to go in spite of them. Everything you hope to accomplish as a leader expands through sharing. You share courage by acting courageously. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. Think like a black belt for yourself, for your business, or your next conference or event. Learn more at ThatBlackBeltGuy.com.