Where does the courage come in?
I recently attended an event on Women’s Leadership Careers organised by the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) Women in Management (WiM) Network. The keynote speaker was none other than CMI’s CEO Ann Francke, an exceptionally dynamic and engaging speaker.
Ann shared her wealth of knowledge and experience about progressing in the ranks of organisations as a female member of staff. One of the things she referred to was the 3 C’s: Competence, Confidence and Connections – the essential ingredients to get noticed and to make your mark in your field. She suggests keeping a list of your competencies and your accomplishments. Have confidence in yourself – avoid the tiara syndrome, i.e. waiting for someone to notice you, and the sorry skirts, connoting apologising for yourself. And the ever important C – connections – reach out to people. Seek out colleagues and managers who can guide you, advise you and “sponsor” you.
As I was taking all this in, the words of Sir Winston Churchill rang so true: “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities . . . because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” I add ‘courage’ as the fourth C to Ann’s list.
Courage can be the stepping stone to acknowledging your competencies, to speak up to the person at work, who you would like to connect with. And the courage to walk away when you know something is not working – it could be a job that does not nurture your capacities, a relationship that does not support you in achieving your targets. It takes courage to reflect on a past project and to be honest with yourself about what worked and what could have been done better.
It requires courage to lead a team, to disband a team and to implement change when necessary. However, courage is not about being abrasive. It is very much about being gently assertive with yourself and taking that one extra step – making your competencies list or drawing on your confidence to connect with a colleague. After all, Churchill also purported that “courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Reetu Kansal is the Project Manager for Assessment Tasks at University of London, after successfully leading the University’s Institutions Assurance department through significant change. Seven years at the University of London have seen her develop strong partnerships with educational organisations, quality assurance agencies and regulatory bodies in over 40 countries. Reetu holds a Chartered Manager award from the Chartered Management Institute, UK and is the Women in Management Champion on its London & South East Board.
Download your straight-forward, actionable tips to Become a Thriving Leader:Click Here for the Instant Download
