Lean Quote: Freedom Lies in Bold Leadership

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Freedom lies in being bold."   —  Robert Frost

When one is free, one has the choice of being bold. By being bold, one may maintain their freedom despite the attempts of others to apply restrictions. Thus, each of the two support and reinforce the other.

Good leaders are trailblazers, making a path for others to follow. Great leaders, however, inspire their people to reach higher, dream bigger, and achieve greater. Perhaps the most important leadership skill you can develop is the ability to provide inspiration to your team. If you inspire them to reach for the stars, they just might bring you back the moon.

Bold leadership isn’t reserved for the chosen few, and it certainly isn’t limited to popular culture’s definition of big, brash, loud leadership. Bold leadership is about the everyday behaviors we use to build trust, focusing on the needs of others, leading with confident humility, and vulnerably engaging with our people in authentic and genuine ways.

Bold leadership is not what you think. BOLD leadership is:

Building trust – if employees don’t trust you, why would they follow you?

Others focused – leadership isn’t about a leader, it’s about empowering the people around you.

Leading with humility – it’s a common misconception that leaders are infallible but the most successful people in leadership positions show they’re human.

Daring to be vulnerable – authenticity brings people to you. No one wants to follow a robot, they want a real person who connects with them and understands what they’re doing/who they are.

You’ve got to seize the moment. Don’t be afraid to be a bold leader.