This Week, Be Brave

This past January I had the opportunity to speak to business leaders in the real estate industry about looking back into the year prior, while focusing on how they could make the new year their best yet.    

The majority of what I spoke upon focused around courage.

I recounted attending a different leadership training a few years earlier. The presenter at the front of the room taught me a valuable lesson I’ve never forgotten.

He was animated, bold, and held our attention with his sharp-witted delivery.  He was almost frantic in his presentation. He was impassioned and he was clearly focused.

He then asked a question, a very easy question I might add, but nobody replied.  Caught off guard by the lack of response, he asked again.  This time however, he followed the repeat with a pointed phrase…

“Be brave”  he said, impatiently.  

Immediately several people raised their hands, I did too.  We all had the right answer.  We simply needed to have courage to answer the question.  

It wasn’t hard.  

And I haven’t forgotten.  

So many times, I’ve been in environments where I see people are not brave enough to engage, to answer questions, or to be vulnerable enough to grow.  

To be honest, I’ve been guilty of it too.  Are you always as brave as you think you could be?  

Why do you allow for it to hold you back?  

Can you imagine the world’s greatest business leaders showing up to work just to punch a time clock and collect a paycheck?  What a travesty that would be.  

Yet, so often we go through the motions on cruise control, avoiding all opportunity to display courage, instead remaining content with mediocre results because we choose to stay in our comfort zones.  

Let’s “be brave” this week.  

Is there any reason it can’t be our best yet? 

Let’s go.