Being successful in business is more than just having the right partners, the right business plan, or sufficient funding. It requires COURAGE.
Part of courage is the willingness to take the right moral stance in the face of opposition from society, from stakeholders, and even from employees who don’t have all the facts. Courage is about keeping private info confidential and being willing to be misunderstood by others. Courage is about persevering even when it hurts because the goal is worth it.
We live in a world in which 1000 Facebook likes can be seen of more value than 3 true live friends and in which short term accolades outweigh the concept of legacy. That’s not to buck the value of social marketing. But it has its place, and true leaders wanting to go the distance rely on flesh and blood friends when the going gets tough. (Yes, even millennials value a few live, deep relationships over a truckload of surface social media likes, according to the 9GAG Global Millennial Black Paper.)
It takes courage to allow your personal brand to really reflect who you are rather than a carefully crafted image. Let’s think about this for a second. People (yes, even millennials) value people who are comfortable in their own skins; and, long term, people respect, trust and follow real people whose outward actions are in alignment with their inner convictions.
So, as we’re considering direction, vision/purpose for business, and company culture, let’s think of a few trusted friends that can spur us onto courageously “being”. If you’d like one-on-one coaching, schedule a time with Bob!