Find Your Bold

Johann Wolfgang van Goethe said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”

I find myself to be a fairly bold individual.  While I haven’t always been, and while not always visible to the naked eye, I know when I need to be bold.  The boldness comes out when I’m passionate about something and often when I want to share about it.   I believe that most people have a boldness about them.  They are confident, driven, courageous and go after what will make them or a situation better.

I have found myself in the last few weeks feeling more in retreat mode… specifically over a dilemma that I know I need to be bold about.  In my coaching practice, I work with leaders on being bold and yet when I’m not in that confident space for myself, it bothers me.  This dilemma has caused me to reflect on the situation and to identify a strategy to work through it.  Putting my thoughts on paper often helps.

I did some research and found Kevin Daum, an Inc. 500 entrepreneur and best-selling author who identified 7 actions to tackle boldness.  They caused to me reflect on each of them and evaluate where I am.   These seven actions show up in those who are bold:

1. They own their flaws and strengths.  Yep, I have to own them.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Self-assessment and self-reflection are key.   And more than just owning them, I have to be intentional about working on them.
2. They keep clear priorities. I have to have a plan.  While I haven’t always had the best plan, I know the direction I need to go in and I’m diligent about how I’m going to get there.   I may make a wrong turn along the way, but I’ve got my eye on the ball.
3. They speak up. Know when to speak and when to be silent.   Speaking up doesn’t mean being loud, speaking over others and not listening. It means using grace and tact and knowing when and how to say what needs to be said.  The last word doesn’t always win.  It is simply the last word.  And I don’t need to have it even if I sometimes want to.
4. They pair action with knowledge. While it is exciting to just “jump in”, doing your homework and gaining more knowledge before you “jump” is a wise move.  I’m not always great at this, but as I’ve said before, I’m work in progress.
5. They accept the value of failure. No one likes to fail.  Yikes, I don’t even like the word, but experiencing failure has allowed me to learn from my mistakes and move past them.   And I’ve made a bunch!  I’m also better at understanding risk and being able to take risk knowing it is positive factor in my growth.
6. They make the most of small wins. Small wins are confidence boosters.  I look for them every day!  I used to want to wait for the perfect conditions to act, but I can now look at the playing field and navigate how I can get the small win. And lots of small wins add up to success!
7. They build momentum. In the Inc. article, Kevin says, “Don’t coast!” Keep gathering confidence, speed and power.  Focus beyond this week, this month and even this year.  Look out past the horizon and think broadly.   Momentum is a powerful thing.

Reflect.  Assess. Tackle.  Find Your Bold.