BAREFOOT LEADERSHIP: COURAGE AND HUMILITY

BAREFOOT LEADERSHIP

THE ART AND HEART OF GOING THAT EXTRA MILE

ALVIN UNG

CHAPTER 3 AND 4

COURAGE AND HUMILITY

ART:     COURAGE

Learn how to build character as a foundation for leadership.  Courage along with humility are the two most important character qualities that sustain and grow leaders in tough times.  It takes courage to stand up and be counted on.  It also takes courage to sit down and walk away.  Barefoot Leaders learn to be brave even when they feel like running away.

Cultivating the culture of courage is an art done through:

1.         Being bold early

2.         Making it impossibly big

3.         Live out the future now

The greatest glory in living is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.  The extra mile action:

1.         Personally took charge

2.         Listened deeply

3.         Generate solution

HEART:                        HUMILITY

Barefoot Leaders believe that every person has power.  With great courage, they willingly make themselves accountable to the people under them, knowing that it is the people they serve who confer them power.  Barefoot Leaders primarily see themselves as servants (who lead) rather than leaders (who serve).

Humility is a matter of the heart.  It cannot be turned on or off like an electric switch.  Embark on the journey of humility:

	The Journey
1	Know strengths and weakness	Go the extra mile to pursue greater good
		Impact lives and make a difference
		Open towards understanding themselves
		Gain leadership mandate by servicing others
		Able to build long term value
2	Discern how strengths become weaknesses	When a person lose that equilibrium between courage and humility, strength will become weakness
		Decisive leaders becomes arrogant
		Creative thinker becomes disorganized
		Meticulous planners become a control freak
		Blaming external factors and other people when problem arises
		Erects an invisible fortress that discourages people from giving feedback
		Becomes an arrogant caricature
3	Embrace weaknesses as strengths	Leaders possess one or more leadership flaws including: Being curt and abrupt Cutting people off Claiming people’s idea as their own Inability to inspire people Lack of clear vision Making poor decisions Unable to be a team player Failure to walk the talk Inability to learn from mistakes Lack of interpersonal skills Resisting new ideas Focus on developing self instead of others

Busyness and ambition blinded leaders from seeing themselves as they truly are.  Embrace weakness as strengths and become more aware of emotional and spiritual poverty.

to be continued...