Last week we started a series on 8 Great Traits of Successful Women in Leadership. We talked about how Determination is all about making the big decision of not giving up no matter what happens. Races are not necessarily won by the swift, but by the steady. We also said that nobody ever got anywhere or became anything by staying in their comfort zones; making Boldness and Bravery the key trait of victors.

 

Today let’s learn how Determination is fueled by Ideation and Imagination, and why Boldness and Bravery should be balanced out by Daring and Strategy, and how Discipline holds all these traits together.

4. Ideation and Imagination

In one of my other blogs (So, You Want To Be An Entrepreneur?), I encouraged entrepreneurial hopefuls to “Think Big, Everything is Possible.” Notice how I said “think” and not “dream?” We dream with our eyes closed and our minds asleep. Open your eyes, get the cogs and wheels of your brain working and make those dreams come true! The world is an endless place of possibilities made even more attainable by the continuous rise of technological advancements – bringing people, businesses, industries, and nations closer to one another – making the world not smaller, but more intimate, more connected, more in-sync. Take advantage of the wealth of information and services at your fingertips. Ideate! Push the boundaries of your imagination and creativity.

5. Daring and Strategy

Risk is the potential of losing something of value, weighed against the potential to gain something of value. Daring people take risks. Strategic people take calculated risks. Success is learning to balance being daring with the right strategies. One example I discussed in another blog (The Battlefield of Your Small Business) is Customer Service. This is an area where we have the opportunity to be daring and offer services that our competitors cannot or take certain services up a notch. But in order to execute this move successfully, it must be balanced with the right strategy, like managing expectation. View your business and its capabilities and resources through a realistic lens so that you know when it is okay to give a little extra or when it is absolutely necessary for you to put your foot down.

6. Discipline

“The consummate leader… strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.”

Sun Tzu said this 2,500 years ago, and 2,500 years later, it is still one of the most solid strategies to success. Discipline serves many functions in the journey to success; it is the compass that directs your focus and keeps it on the right path, discipline also serves as the fences that hem you in, not to limit your freedom but to protect the investments that you have made. Discipline is also the glue that holds other traits together. Without discipline, we can ideate to the point where we get so off track we lose sight of the prize. Discipline keeps us from charging bravely and boldly but without purpose.

These first 6 traits can be used to establish the foundation for success. The next step is to develop the framework you will build around. You must develop your framework carefully so that it will reinforce your chosen building blocks of success: Corporate Wisdom, Career Management, and Delegation.