Having recently watched the movie “42,” it struck me that it took both leadership (Branch Ricky) and courage (Jackie Robinson) for the color barrier to be broken in professional baseball. I believe that for any organization to be truly successful you have to have both innovation and courage! Many books, speeches, lectures, etc., have focused on the importance of leadership, and likely as many on the topic of courage. I am sure many incorporate both.
Certainly, an integral part of leadership is courage, but the leader must build an organization where courage is embraced at all levels. In the competitive environment we are all working in, it is vital that anyone at any level within an organization has courage to try new things and make suggestions or recommendations to try new approaches to current situations.
Innovation doesn’t fall on the shoulders of any one individual in successful organizations, but becomes part of the fabric of the organization itself. To have an innovative culture, everyone in the organization must be willing to try, and be supported in trying, new ways of doing things.
Having contributed to building a very strong organization over the past 25 years, I have had the good sense to hire great people, provide them the tools to do their jobs, and then get out of their way and let them execute. What has been one of the most rewarding outcomes is engaging the staff in helping build a better company. The success we have experienced is a direct result of the level of engagement we have within our company.
Staff are encouraged to be innovative in everything they do in support of our client partners and the company. The culture of the company is not one of status quo, it is to be innovative in support of our clients and company.
Embracing courage and providing leadership should be at the heart of every organization.
Photo credit: twm1340 / Foter / CC BY-SA
