The Growth Mindset

Chapter 11Have the Courage to Lead Change

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

—Winston Churchill

Leaders with a growth mindset have courage. We all know this intuitively. But what does it really mean? For me, it means that they show their mettle in tough situations and they excel at making difficult decisions. It's showing your courage by your deeds, not just words. It becomes much more difficult to have courage to make the right decisions if you don't feel good about yourself as we discussed in managing yourself and self‐care. Confidence may be the center key, but you need, skill, knowledge, experience, and the right attitude to move forward with courage.

Moving Through Fear

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing things people say you cannot do.”

—Walter Bagehot

Having courage does not mean never being afraid. It means being able to act despite your fears. The more you run away from your fears, the more they grow and the more power you give them. Great leaders confront their fears head‐on. Visualize a successful outcome.

One of the fears I had early on in my career was a fear of speaking in public. As an advisor, I desperately wanted to lead seminars and I knew my fear of public speaking would stop me from achieving this goal. To conquer my fear, I started bringing in guest speakers for my seminars. At first, I would simply introduce my guest to the group. Over time, my introductions got longer and ...