It's not easy being a leader. It takes courage and commitment, the willingness to step out of our comfort zone, the need to readily adapt to change, and the obligation to develop our skill set and the skills within our organization.

To some this is fearful. Dealing with the unknown or facing a known weakness creates discomfort. Another way to look at it is that courage and commitment are required to become a stronger leader. Embracing both the fear and courage emotions we feel can actually be inspirational!

After observing many leaders who have come through PeopleTek programs, we noticed that the ones who are successful both in life and work have a specific set of characteristics and behaviors.

Living your life with courage is how it all begins! Courage is the single most important attribute any leader must have in order to be effective and successful. We call this "CourageAbility"™. CourageAbility is the ability to live both your dreams and professional life the way you want, while achieving your goals and exceeding in your life's ambitions and objectives. It is taking and empowering yourself and others to go where you or they have never gone before.

The 12 CourageAbility factors include:

1. Passion - Having and living your dream.
2. Documenting your goals.
3. Committing to your goals.
4. Understanding your strengths and the strengths of others.
5. Communicating with confidence and clarity.
6. Understanding and managing conflict with a purpose.
7. Developing others.
8. Delegating.
9. Developing a skill.
10. Remaining controlled.
11. Rewarding and recognizing.
12. Succeeding and learning from failure.

A CourageAbility self assessment is provided; identify your high and low scores and determine how closely your behaviors align with your beliefs!