Good leaders need emotional management skills, not just technical know-how

As a leader of a company, you have many responsibilities. You must create and foster the company culture. You must ensure each department and function of the company is running smoothly, and of course, you must make hard decisions that (you hope) will be beneficial for the bottom line. 

While there are many traits that define a successful leader, one not talked about often enough is the ability to be a “courageous” leader. Being a courageous leader doesn’t mean acting without fear — it means have the courage to make decisions with conviction, to speak the truth even when it’s hard to do so and to have the courage to look in the mirror and hold yourself to account. These emotional management skills are just as important as technical management skills.

In teaching the concept of courageous leaderships to my clients, I often reference the book "Dare to Lead" by Brené Brown. In the book, Brown posits that the most effective leaders are those willing to be vulnerable. This doesn’t mean oversharing or being weak — instead, it’s about having the courage to be authentic, take risks and engage with others in an honest way. Sounds simple, right? In reality, courageous leadership can be difficult to achieve. Things like perfectionism, insecurity and fear of failure can hinder one’s ability to lead courageously.