Page 146 - Fearless Leadership

Changing Your Direction and Taking a Bold Stand 133

or hope that the tooth fairy will deliver a pleasant surprise. People want
to know: “What can I do today that will make a difference?” They want
to do more, give more, and be more. And they want to be proud of the
organization and help make it wildly successful.
People want to believe, and the stand you take tells them what they can
believe in. It defines the organizational and personal context and either
expands or shrinks the game. Merely communicating tactical objectives
leaves people disengaged and moves them away from the outcome you
want to achieve.
Taking a stand is a bold declaration—a public commitment—about
what you believe in, what you can be counted on for, and how you will
focus your energy and the energy of your group. When you take a stand,
you set a clear path. For example, you can take a stand about who you
will be as a leader in the organization. An example of a powerful, personal
stand is, “I am 100% accountable for business results and my impact on
others.” Your stand is a promise first to you, then to others. In a personal
stand such as this, you are declaring how you will play the game.
Your stand is your stake-in-the-ground, and it is not about what you hope
will happen but what you will make happen during your watch. It is your
rallying cry to unite and mobilize people to action. You must believe in
it; it must resonate with everything you personally stand for and be con-
sistent with your personal values. If it does not create a “fire in the belly”
for you, it will not for others.
Whether you are a leader with a formal title or an individual contrib-
utor, you can take a bold stand. The example in this section is of an exec-
utive who takes a courageous stand and leads his organization to greatness.
However, the same methodology applies to taking a personal stand with
your group or as a member of the organization.
In order to perform at their highest capacity, people need a big con-
text with clear boundaries, a galvanizing purpose, and a stable set of behav-
ioral agreements. Together, this provides people with a secure base so
they can focus their energy on tackling your organization’s most pressing
challenges.
Your stand provides the context and purpose; it is the nerve center for
what you want the organization to accomplish and how you want peo-
ple to work together. If the connections and synapses are not unmistak-