Many of us only show a certain percentage of ourselves in social situations – the extent to which we are comfortable revealing our true personalities. I don’t think anyone would begrudge us this; after all, there is only so much one can share of oneself to those we don’t know very well.
But when it comes to the workplace, and giving of oneself in terms of performance – many are showing only the tip of the iceberg, and are not willing to expose the other seven-eighths of their ability and professionalism that lie beneath a slick, smooth surface.
Let bravery be thy choice, but not bravado – Menando
If someone asked you, how would you answer this question:
Are you brave in the way you do your job – or just full of bravado?
Both seem like similar concepts. They are almost identical words after all – so how could they be so different in practice?
Bravado. Being full of bluster and pretense, and false promises. The business culture of ‘I will give enough to look as though I am performing above expectations whilst secretly cruising my way to tomorrow, or next week – or my next role’.
If you have the ability to be one of the best, don’t waste it. ~ Janine Garner Tweet this!
Bravado is being content to sit on one’s hands while nodding furiously and giving every indication of leading change. It is ‘fake it while you make it’; not engaging wholly nor giving completely – despite having the ability to do so.
Bravery on the other hand is stepping not necessarily always outside the square, but along the edges of the business square. Questioning your own position and take on leadership. Constantly learning and posing new sets of challenges for oneself in terms of professional standards and goals.
Bravery is striving to be a change maker and improve the way things are done within the company, the sector, within the industry.
Bravery is reaching out to fellow leaders and those who are willing to shape policy and procedure, and give one hundred percent to drive business forward in an ethical and productive way.
Now, more than ever, the time has come within corporate to show your true colours as a leader. We are coming back to the real, to the authentic, and to the transparent. The ability to lead by example is absolutely critical to success in a market that is cynical and sick of inflated salaries – and inflated egos. So those who through fear or simple laziness are not willing to give one hundred percent of their business selves need to re-think their position.
Drop the much ‘ado’ about nothing.
And become one of the brave.
That’s right, DESTROY! It can kill moral, stifle innovation, increase gossip, diminish customer service, and reduce profits. An emotional attachment is a desire for something or someone, and the inability to release or do without that thing or person. We tend to think about this when it comes to relationships, but have you ever thought about whether you are emotionally attached to say ….a line item on your P&L?
One might think that with all the topics I write about that I would be an arrogant know-it-all type. This is really, really far from the truth. In fact, the more I learn in life the more I realize that I know very little. This year as I was preparing for 2012 and making my 
The world is full of recipes for success, but many times we forget that success comes from within ourselves with work that we do. I would even claim that success is mainly about attitude. When you have the right attitude, you focus on the right things, obstacles are there to overcome, you feel better and work more efficiently. I am sure you know what happens if you have a bad attitude: nothing seems to work at that time. Here are some questions for you to ask to become more successful through your own attitude towards other people and life. Even though you may not have answers to every one of them, thinking about these matters will already take you towards your personal success.
Accountability – I consider myself an expert on accountability and execution (I did write a 
I am in Las Vegas for a couple days attending a conference. I do not visit Las Vegas very often, so it is always eye-catching to see the magnificence of the architecture and how technology seeps from every crevice of the city, especially in contrast to what many of the buildings represent. The day in the conference center was filled with lots of great content. I was a little slow leaving after it ended, from talking to people and answering some emails.
A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I had written a book. I started writing the book in July of 2010 and finished it in April of 2011. The book is written as a business fable and describes a methodology that I developed to solve one of the most mystifying problems that organizations experience. That problem is the ability to get everyone’s activities in an organization aligned to help achieve the top-line goals of an organization. 
In the last post I covered how members of a team can effectively contribute and show leadership among a team or group. In this post I want to share my experience and recommendation for leading your equals, or leading your peers. I don’t recall ever seeing anything on this topic and have had to learn this through some hard lessons. I chose the cartoon on the left because peer leadership can be awkward, and sometimes both the leader and those being led, feel a bit out of place.
The group’s name is Operations Superstars with a motto of “Execute or Be Executed.” In the group everyone is expected to deliver and do their part. Organizing the group was a little different. I was not interested in getting 25 people on a phone call and hashing away at a process. So I divided the group into teams, with 4 to 6 members and called a team leader for each team.
Some events have transpired recently that made me stop and ponder this topic of leading when one is not a leader. I am not referring to the process of becoming a leader or learning the skills to become a leader, although following these precepts will certainly help one to become a better leader. I am referring to the scenario of being a part of a team, group, or unit and not actually being the designated leader of that entity. I have come across this in the accountability groups I have run and have put a lot of thought into the successful groups and projects I have been a part of. 
