All leaders no matter how many they lead need to dig their heels into the ground from time to time and stand their ground. In this post I will cover three ways in which you can strengthen your leadership grit.
If you scan through history even at a rapid pace you can see leadership grit in action.
Abraham Lincoln had leadership grit during the civil war and his banishment of slavery.
Martin Luther King Jr. had leadership grit that shifted the tides of racial equality in the U.S.
Gandhi had leadership grit to stick to his beliefs when threatened.
Christ showed leadership grit throughout his life and never wavered from it. King David showed leadership grit as he took down the giant Goliath with a sling shot. William Wallace had leadership grit as he fought so vigilantly for freedom. The founding fathers of the U.S. had leadership grit when they fought for independence. Admiral Stockdale had leadership grit when he was held captive during the Vietnam war.
Earnest Shakelton who lead the Endurance Expedition which ultimately turned into a true test of leadership grit had to instill grit in himself and his crew in order to survive. Even Wiley the coyote showed leadership grit each time he failed to capture the road runner, but that failure never stopped him from ongoing innovation and reaching his goal.
This is just a quick snap shot of how good leaders showcased their leadership grit.
We all have leadership grit and some use it more than others. If you are unsure of how to get leadership grit or even how take it up a couple notches here are three ways to do so.
- Your Leadership Grit Starts With A Choice
Leadership grit starts and stops with you.
It is about pushing fear to the side and either standing your ground or charting a new course. You will need to decide that enough is enough at some point and stick to your decisions and cast a new vision. Grit is not about being demanding, or rash.
It is about being a pillar of strength during difficult times.
- You Need To Take Challenges Head On To Strengthen Your Leadership Grit
After you make the choice to have grit, the next thing to do is use that grit and boldness against a challenge no matter how big or small.
Grit is defined as a firmness of character, an indomitable spirit. Your firmness of character stems from grit which is rooted in how you face adversity. It is easy to fold under pressure when the challenge or risk gets uncomfortably high.
If this was the case for Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Christ, and so on we would have a much different history to look back on.
- In Order To Have Full Leadership Grit You Need To Have Support
Individual grit will only go so far. You will need to inspire others to have grit.
The best way to do that is lead by example with your own hard coded leadership grit. All of the historical figures minus Wiley coyote (who is just a cartoon but worth mentioning) all had supporters with grit for the common vision.
The more people with grit aligning to reach the same vision increases momentum and buy in to achieve the shared vision.
A leader with grit will attract other leaders and supporters with grit.
Closing Thoughts On Leadership Grit
If you are a leader at home, of yourself, or of many you need to have grit.
Leadership grit is about you taking the lead to take challenges head on. To fight for what you believe in, and to not take a backseat to fear or anxiety. The more challenges you go through and the more times you both fail and succeed will strengthen your leadership grit.
Your leadership grit should be tailored and in conjunction with your values. If your grit is rooted in your values you will fight harder and longer to preserve and protect those values from being violated.
Be a leader with leadership grit!
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