Courage: is it necessary for teams and business?

Does courage in business make a difference?

I think it does. In fact, courage is an essential skill for leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs and team members. Courage is one of the foundations of:

1) Resolving conflict respectfully and effectively
2) Leading teams through change
3) Taking risks to bring your business or team to new levels of success
4)  Stepping into new skill sets and personal growth

Recently I was a guest on the Fantastic Frank Radio show, talking about my books, including On Toby's Terms, and GPS Your Best Life (co-authored with Debra Kasowski).

Courage when accompanied by sincerity, authenticity and humility is courage at its best. Frank and I talked about acts of courage and how courage can help you look at a potentially challenging or traumatic event through a different perspective. 

Here are a few tips to bringing more courage into your day to day actions, relationships and communication:

1) Be open to new perspectives and ideas instead of being tied to your perspectives only
2) Ask lots of questions, be curious, and recognize that questions invite a deeper dialogue
3) Instead of assumptions, take a step into courage and ask for clarrification
4) Every day challenge yourself to try one new skill or activity (for example, try a new food, listen to music you haven't listened to before, start a conversation with a stranger... basically, take a small stretch out of your comfort zone)
5) Ask yourself the big question.... WITWTTCH- what is the worst thing that could happen by....

When you step into courage, you move through discomfort and sometimes through fear. Practice makes it easier, and, invites others to step in this direction too.

Charmaine on Fantastic Frank Show Nov 15/12
 

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Charmaine on Fantastic Frank Show Nov 22/12

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To find out more about the books, GPS Your Best Life, On Toby's Terms and Toby the Pet Therapy Dog visit

                              
      

Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities... Fantastic Ones

What a joy to be on Fantastic Frank's radio show. Now here is a man who inspires me!

A great definition for the word resilience is Frank Johnson. Frank survived a fire, divorce, and bankruptcy, a great deal of change for anyone to cope with. He also encountered tremendous loss, he  lived through the loss of his business, singing voice, his career as a chemical engineer, his fine motor control. And his outlook on life is Fantastic!  

On Franks' show we talked about resilience, overcoming fear and how fear creates choices... the choices to become paralyzed by fear or to move through it. We also discussed how one's mindset and thinking greatly shapes and impacts the results that people experience in their life. Using affirmations, affirmative thinking and making a choice about how to let a daily challenge impact you are some of the many solutions we explored. 

We also talked about my new book co-authored with Debra Kasowski, who was also a guest on Franks' show in September.  Our book, GPS Your Best Life, is being released on November 21, 2012, and Frank asked a great question about the book....What does it mean to live your best life?

Wow, what a juicy question. What does that mean to you....to live YOUR best life?

I think "best life" will be different for each person, and I think perhaps our definitions change in time. For example, in the 1980's I was a Correctional Officer, and at that time I was living my best life. I loved my apartment, owning my first car, the career I chose... I was living my best life, I was serving my purpose. Fast forward 15 years, I was a corporate mediator. Helping businesses and teams in crisis and conflict solve the people issues that plagued their teams and got in the way of success. I was again living my best life. It was different from my earlier career, I was married, in love, on purpose, owner of two thriving businesses... and being in service to the organizations and groups in our community.  Fast forward to now... I AM living my best life... still in love....still married to the greatest guy on earth. Living my purpose as a speaker and author, serving others, and happy... Fast forward ten years... not sure what it will look like, but I do know one thing for sure... living my best life has a lot to do with love, passion, purpose and being of service to others.

What does it mean to you?

Listen to Frank and I discuss this and many other interesting topics at: 

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GPS Your Best Life:  www.gpsyourbestlife.com