How to Develop Boldness as a Leader

All great leaders, both in the current arena and throughout history, have in common a willingness to take risks and be bold. Articles and studies reinforce the importance of bold leadership, but how exactly you become bold as a leader? Let’s take a look.

1. Know the right way to take risks

Taking risks is often thought to be as the defining quality of a bold leader, but you should keep in mind all the associated factors with each risk, and only then should you proceed with any decision, regardless of whether you decided to go on or not.

Thorough analysis before taking a step forward is crucial, and will help you formulate mitigation strategies in case your decision backfires. Everyone makes mistakes, and thus having a sound preventive strategy around is always a good idea.

 2. Create champions for the cause

 
A leader who prefers the lone-wolf style is bound to be ineffective. If you are to lead people from the forefront being an aspiring C-suite executive, you should be ready to work with others and bring them to your cause.

For emerging leaders, the need to do so is even stronger, since you will be spearheading change often, and without champions, you are sure to be faced with considerable hurdles and obstructions along the way.

3. Bring your enemies closer

If you are reading this, chances are that you’re either an emerging leader, or already part of top-level management. Acting from such a position, being bold means you are or will often be the bringer of change and will take risks to do so. But keep in mind that there will always be naysayers who will react or lash out against this type of leadership.

Ignoring these squeaky wheels will be detrimental; the best way to deal with them is to engage and try to convert them to your cause. These people often turn out to be devoted evangelists to your cause.

4. Avoid being complacent

Have you ever heard of the boiled frog syndrome or active inertia? In universities all over the world, this concept is taught in graduate-level courses to business administration students. It basically refers to being content with the current pace and way of doing things when everything seems to be on the right track.

Being complacent with the way things are going can result in the leader being a victim of inertia. As a bold leader, you should never lose that spark which propels the organization to keep moving forward.

Just keep in mind that every leader can be bold. This trait isn’t for the chosen few who are born with charisma. Bold leadership is a skill that can be learned, cultivated, and nourished with time, practice, and most of all, action!

Simon T. Bailey is CEO of Brilliance Institute, which consults with individuals and organizations, and he is the former sales director of the Disney Institute. He is the author the new book "Shift Your Brilliance – Harness the Power of You Inc." and is the sequel to his bestseller "Release Your Brilliance."