Bold Leadership
Daring To Make A Difference

Bold leadership is badly needed in our world today. In our generation, because of the fruits of our forefathers, more young people nowadays do not see the need to fight for what they believe anymore.

They are comfortable about where they are, and as long as their needs are provided for, they do not see a need to stand up for what they believe in.

This has led to passivity in many leaders today. Instead of fighting tooth and nail for something they believe in, they would settle for less as long as their personal needs were met.

However, when we look into history, we see that many great leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Junior fought boldly for their cause. It did not matter that they were breaking the law; they believed in their cause so strongly that they stood against the government of their time, even to the point of getting jailed at some point.

When we fast forward to our world today, we find that there is a lack of such leaders who are willing to fight tooth and nail for their cause. People learn to settle for their lot in life; as a result, there are many people who suffer in silence.

We don’t need anymore passive leaders; we need bold leaders who are willing to change the world into a better place.

THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF
BOLD LEADERSHIP

Their eyes are so set on their goals that they neglect the opinions of people around them. Because they are blind to people’s opinions, often they can make comments or say things that we consider to be bold. They dare to say things that offend and they dare to challenge the status quo.

2. Bold leaders are very opinionated
Because of their firm belief in their cause, they are very opinionated people. They don’t take neutral ground. They either love something or hate something. They don’t go for in-betweens.

You do not see them trying to settle for middle ground so that they can please all parties. More often than not, they usually take an extreme stand on an issue that people would even consider them fanatics or extremists.

3. Bold leaders are usually good speakers
Because of their deep conviction, bold leaders are able to inspire people through their speeches.

No matter how much a public speaking course can teach you, they can never teach you the conviction that you need to make the inspiring speech.

The powerful thing when we have a conviction is that we are automatically able to inspire the listeners. If we really believe in something deeply, we can communicate not only in words, but also in spirit. Our words become

That is why you can sometimes see people who can’t even speak proper language deliver powerful speeches or sermons that bring conviction to the listeners.

HOW CAN YOU
DEVELOP BOLDNESS

1. What do you believe in?
Before you have an opinion about anything, you have to know this first: what do you believe in? You cannot be bold if you don’t have something to fight for.

Do you believe in world peace? Do you believe in sustainable development of companies? Or do you believe that your community needs a big positive change?

Keep it in your heart and never let go of it. That is where your boldness will eventually find its cause.

2. Be conscious of your fear
For most of us, we are anxious to please people around us. The first step to developing boldness is to understand that the fear to express yourself fully is because of the fear of the opinions of others.

Check yourself: is the fear legitimate? Are you afraid to speak up because you’re afraid of others?

If what you say is right and true, then slowly learn to take steps to overcome this fear by just speaking up. You can do this in a small, safe environment with your family and friends first, before you try it in your workplace or your organization.

3. Develop an opinion
I used to not have an opinion about a lot of the things in my life. When asked about my opinion on something, I usually give none. Deep inside, I was afraid my opinion would not concur with others.

However, I realized the way to overcome this was to simply start having an opinion about things that you usually don’t have an opinion of. This could range from simple things like the weather, the favourite color of your clothes to opinions about the World War.

Eventually, you’ll start developing the boldness to disagree with the people around you. You’ll start standing against the norm if it clashes with your deepest beliefs.

This boldness in disagreeing, coupled with the cause you want to fight for, will make you a bold leader who will become a force to be reckoned with.

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