I’ve been thinking a lot about courage lately.
There isn’t a lot of talk about courage in your career, but it is one of the foremost places where you need to have it. Careers require stamina, hard work (yes, actually following up and doing the work instead of delegating or assuming someone else will handle it), risk and tenacity. Many of the workplace advice articles I read have catchy titles about dealing with difficult co-workers, how to get a raise and advance your career and how to land that new opportunity all boil down to one thing: you need courage.
Even my own mantra about being a “marketeer” and building and selling your brand requires it.
What courage will you show today?
The courage to question and not accept everything that is told to you in meetings or by your boss. If you even think you know of a better way – a different way – question the process and suggest an alternative.
The courage to do the right thing – especially when someone is doing the wrong thing. At the core, you know the right thing to do – for you, for your business and your career. Don’t waver.
The courage to make things happen. Compelling work doesn’t just happen, it is cultivated. You can procrastinate, put off, slack, do a half-job and accomplish mediocre “wins” by just showing up. To truly drive your work, you need to think, plan and most importantly – follow through. That voice in your head that says, “I’ll just do this tomorrow?” Shut it up by taking action and not thinking about it.
Most importantly, I wish for you the courage to do what you want. This does not mean sitting in front of your TV with a bag of Doritos. Specifically, this means that when you get up in the morning you are making the conscious choice to want to do what you have to do. It is a choice you make daily.
Career Marketeer 