Last week Dr Sean Richardson gave a provoking presentation at Thought Leaders Business School, dispelling ‘5 myths of The Psychology of Excellence’. Here are two of his myths most relevant to Fearless Leadership.

Myth: It’s wrong to show any sign of weakness.

Sean asked a great question: ‘What happens when people can’t show weakness in the workplace?’ I immediately thought of cultures I have experienced where no one shows vulnerability. These were not cultures of personal or corporate growth, or of innovation.

Sean’s solution for this is ‘vulnerability courage’ that drives growth. Ritualising and celebrating courage in your own leadership, teams and organisations allows people and cultures to move past the ‘weak is bad’ thinking. He challenged the audience to aim for at least one ‘courage conversation’ a week.

Myth: Motivation is required.

Not motivated to do something just yet? That’s okay… Put it off until you feel motivated… WRONG!

Turns out that we don’t need motivating. We just need to take action and the motivation comes afterwards! I know this to be true when I wake up early in the morning to go swimming. Raining… Cold… It’s tempting to stay in bed. When I push through my lack of motivation, on the way home from swimming I find myself feeling highly motivated.

A constant connection to purpose helps maintain inspiration. (See my April blog on purpose for some clues)

Perhaps it’s time to reflect on:

• What weakness in your own leadership are you afraid to confront?
• What do you need to do to build your ‘vulnerability courage’?
• Where might you be using ‘lack of motivation’ as an excuse for lack of action/results?

Have an Extraordinary day