[February 7, 2017] As a family in my early teenage years during the 1960s, we watched with rapped attention the television series Batman (starring Adam West). Batman and his associate Robin regularly brought the bad guys to justice through a variety of kicks and punches. Yet it was Batman who put it into perspective for me because he would always say “Good prevails over bad and sometimes you have to fight for it.” For the times, this was showing bold leadership.
Bold leadership has gotten an appalling reputation of late. Perhaps it’s because those who show such leadership methods push people out of their comfort zones into the unknown. People fear the unknown more than known evil (or bad things). Thus, we can expect that such leaders who employ “bold” methods to experience pushback on their attempts to accomplish the mission.
“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 18th century German writer and statesman
Leadership that shows boldness is out of the ordinary. It means upsetting the mainstream; taking risks, doing things differently, employing unusual tactics, or even accepting failure as having value. This means making many people uncomfortable and frightened, especially those who are stakeholders in the outcome.
I’m reminded of the bold action taken by the new U.S. President Donald Trump. He has undoubtedly upset a lot of people, both domestically and internationally. From his first day in office on January 20th this year, just nineteen days ago, he began to take action on those things he promised he would do during his campaign. Many are happily surprised that a politician would actually keep their word but many have expressed fear and disappointment.
Bold leaders get people’s attention and they do so quickly. Some will agree and others disagree with the direction bold leaders take, but none will differ on the fact that they show decisiveness. Bold leaders do this by:
- Keeping their priorities clear
- Identifying risks and employ mitigation early on
- Building early buy-in from key players
- Pairing action with knowledge
- Speaking up when necessary and keep quiet when required
- Going for evolutionary change as opposed to riskier revolutionary transformation
Bold leadership is what is often needed after a period when an organization (or country) is underperforming. Such leaders get people’s attention quickly in order to help them support the vision of that leader. Otherwise, they will fail.
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