Editor’s note: this is a guest post from Dr. Kathy Cramer, author of the book Lead Positive, which came out this week. I’m delighted to help Kathy spread the word about how leaders can use “asset based thinking” to achieve greater results for their teams and organizations.
Leaders know that it is important to be confident in almost every leadership situation. However, the importance of confidence grows exponentially in times of crisis.
A leader who is confident inspires hope and determination in others. The hope that equilibrium will be regained and that the organization will bounce back is essential when dealing with a crisis. The confidence you wear on your face and the confidence you express through your body language, words, and actions will be contagious. And that is exactly what you want.
Authentic confidence takes courage, the courage to keep focused on the ultimate goal and to take decisive action. The courage to experiment until you find the right path, to admit mistakes, and to avoid playing the blame game.
Take this moment to reflect on your goals.
Identify at least one way of being courageous in the face of the challenges in your path. Work on demonstrating that quality for one week. Then select another the following week, and then another for the week after that. Being courageous is your job as a leader for as long as you face challenges.
You may have heard the famous quote from Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.” Now I am going to take that thought and reverse it: “We do what we repeatedly are.”
When you can intentionally call forth your courageous nature — no matter what situation you are in, it becomes a launching pad for what you do as a highly effective leader.
To start you on your leadership path, here are just a few ways you can exhibit courage taken from Lead Positive: What Highly Effective People See, Say and Do.
Being Courageous | Being Fearful |
| Making a tough decision and standing by it | Saying, “I’ll think about it,” when a decision has already been made |
| Admitting when things are not okay | Pretending everything is okay |
| Asking others to do what’s difficult | Hesitating to make difficult requests |
| Being able to stand alone | Seeking approval |
| Staying the course | Changing direction too soon or too often |
About the author
Kathryn D. Cramer, PhD, is passionate about possibilities and potential. Emmy-winner, business consultant, psychologist, and author, Dr. Cramer has written nine books, including the best-selling Change the Way You See Everything. She created and has dedicated her life to asset-based thinking (ABT), a way of looking at the world that helps leaders, influencers, and their teams make small shifts in thinking to produce extraordinary impact. Her latest book, Lead Positive: What Highly Effective Leaders See, Say & Do (Jossey-Bass, 2014), shows leaders how to increase their effectiveness through her revolutionary mindset management process, Asset-Based Thinking.
Follow Kathy on Twitter @drkathycramer and connect on Facebook.
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