Courage & Confidence in Leading
Leadership is a wonderful opportunity to positively influence those around you through your voice, actions, and way of being, even your very presence. Leading can be associated with managing, directing, supervising, among other titles/functions. As well, being a ‘boss’ has become popular. However, I would say while we may see leaders operating in any of these capacities, more than anything, leading is about doing what’s best for others and contributing to growth, change, and success that not only lasts but transcends. Leading in this way invites you to identify and stand on values that you hold dear with courage and confidence, even in the face of adversity.
This is not always easy or popular. Also, values and beliefs can clash (what may be important to you may not be important to others). Yet, your values and contributions will matter to the right person at the right time. We all have a unique part to play and place of influence in the lives of others (look back at my blog on Natural Gifts from 3/31/21), so you shouldn’t feel pressured to fit into a certain mold. Why not be the best you that you can be? It’s the authentic you that will make a difference in the lives of others. In my own life I’ve had to learn this. Once, a special leader in my life told me to write down ‘I can trust me’. This was extremely significant for me at the time because I didn’t even realize how much I let other people persuade me to not be me due to pressures to respond in certain ways. I was fearful of not being liked and even of being rejected. This resulted in silencing my voice, which has been my most valued asset in bringing to light important areas for micro (individual) and macro (systemic) change in truth, honesty, and love.
The idea of leading through adding value even when it’s not the status quo is what draws me to leadership. It is what drives me to offer Healthy Messages; unfortunately, the existence of healthy messaging in mental health and related fields can be easily presumed. Thus, it’s important to me to help professionals/leaders to craft, implement, and improve healthy messaging towards meaningful growth, change, and success.
It’s extremely important to consider not only your values, but the stance it requires in order to see your vision, mission, and goals through to the end. How do you hope to influence others? What do you hope to improve or change? What does this require of you, especially in the face of adversity? Have you considered what you may lose and if it is worth it for you in the end? Loss and change can be extremely difficult to work through, yet necessary to personally contemplate in your own life as you are also asking others to do the same. In addition to daily adversities, over the last year we have faced adversities as a community and world. Now more than ever we are faced with the need to consider our values in every aspect of our lives and the reality of whether we will stand on them no matter what life may bring.
I would like to encourage you to consider your life and the ways in which you hope to lead by adding value, and to do so courageously and confidently. I would also love to hear your thoughts on what leading courageously and confidently looks like to you. As well, how this blog speaks to what you have experienced or or are currently experiencing in your life as you seek to pursue your vision, mission, and goals despite the challenges that come your way.
I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share a comment or reach out if you’d like to connect, have questions, or are interested in partnering.
Healthy Messages™ helps professionals, leaders, and business owners in human services improve, craft, and implement communication within and across systems.
Learn more about Healthy Messages™ mission, vision, and outcomes.
