At Cerca Talent+, there is one key success trait we deeply admire in the leaders of companies we serve and look for in the talented professionals we recruit for them. We work each day to display it in all we do, as well. It has immense power to obliterate roadblocks and speed bumps and dramatically accelerate your results.
It is to Be Bold.
We began this agency to help the best companies in the diagnostics industry dramatically accelerate their results. To do that, everyday, we recall the critical importance of boldness, courage and audacity.
When you consistently demonstrate bold and courageous behavior and deliver quality results with speed, you quickly begin to outperform those who do not. Boldness is a highly effective asset for achieving anything.
So, what do we mean by boldness? Boldness is the act of responding to a situation in a manner that may be viewed as daring to some yet truly is essential to most effectively address the issue at hand. To reach the upper echelons, you must reject there is any value in playing small, you must thrive under pressure, and you must dare to take big risks and create the actions others are just too afraid to attempt.
Boldness is a rare approach to any given situation that requires great situational awareness, courage and craftiness. It means having the chops to advance confidently toward your goals when others might choose to embrace the comfort of retreat. When you are bold, some people think you are odd or crazy. However, if you have big plans, it is far more insane to be timid.
Boldness is also the key component of creating real freedom and requires an increased capacity for accepting risk. When you do decide on a course of action, boldness demands you enact it aggressively.
Saying bold companies have too healthy an appetite for risk is far too simplistic. At the heart of bold companies and those they hire is an identity-forming quality that goes beyond a willingness to gamble with peril. The bold are standing up to challenges when others seek safer paths with fewer obstacles; they are advocating for innovation where others cannot fathom the need; and they are moving forward with dreams when people they respect may call them foolish.
So what are the benefits of being bold?
It allows you to pull away from the competition
Every company working in the molecular space right now is doing interesting work. What differentiates those running out front from those stuck in the pack is they are doing something radically different.
Bold companies stand out from the rest. They display confidence, courage and clarity of purpose. Given the right set of circumstances, they will take action to better the world around them.
In the beginning, those doing something meaningfully different will likely be scorned. At some point along the way, as they begin to execute on their radical vision, detractors begin to become raving fans or even mimic their work.
It gives you a platform.
Everyone wants to give the podium to those who are talking about taking moonshots. You know what they are going to share has got to be interesting. Boldness is attractive. When you’re bold, people are interested in hearing what you have to say.
Bold companies are not necessarily loud or boisterous, but when they have something to say, they say it….repeatedly and with great consistency. More important, they understand when and how to say it.
Being bold does not equal being a bully or a loudmouth. Bold leaders must be better at tact and empathy because the very nature of their words will carry power and impact. Bold leaders also understand that silence is often the greatest statement one can make, and they use it judiciously.
One of the best things you can do to grow your company is to be bold and describe, with passion, your vision to anyone who will listen. Make that plan so audacious your voice becomes louder than everyone else’s. Say what needs to be said before the silence derails the team. Have the loudest voice so you can change the world.
It creates confidence.
As you start to execute on wildly important goals, you begin to feel different. You feel almost electric as everything within you begins to believe what you’ve dreamed can become a reality. Having a wildly important goal changes the way you face each day.
You will start to operate differently because you become increasingly confident what you are doing is game changing. You have the unbounded capacity to be extraordinary. Simply believe it is possible.
It spurs you on….
Motivation can sometimes be hard to muster up….We’re not all coached by Gary Vee each day, yelling at us every moment to get our rears into gear and do more than the day before.
However, being bold generates motivation. Each time you do something bold, you access your own innate motivation. Compelling ideas give us energy we normally cannot unlock….The cool thing is, as you become motivated, so to do those around you.
It attracts A-players
The key problem for any brand is finding the right people to bring the vision to life. When you act with enough boldness, those with golden talents come to you one at a time.
When you’re bold, someone like Bill Gates could get involved. Sure, most of us don’t know Gates, but its likely we could engage him if we simply were bold enough. I don’t know him, but six degrees of separation almost guarantee I am connected with three people willing to arrange a meeting with him if I tried hard enough…If I was bold enough and driven enough to fulfill my vision.
Being bold will attract innovators to your big vision. Through their help, and partnering with others, you fill in the gaps with the essential resources and knowledge you may lack.
It grants you a following.
When you’re bold, people listen. When you don’t sound like everyone else, you are able to capture people’s attention. The challenge is that capturing attention nowadays doesn’t last for long.
Have you ever noticed who gets the most respect; who earns the most success and the most recognition in life? If you look closely, it is not the wall flower or the ones who sit back waiting for direction. Those who have made the biggest impacts on the world have been the nonconformists, the change agents, and those who have refused to accept the status quo. These are the Jeff Besos, the Bill Gates, the Sir Richard Branson and Bob Geldof and Elon Musks of the World.
Your narratives can be triumphant, even amidst failure. Every negative circumstance becomes about “learning and opportunity”. Embrace a growth mindset and understand how narratives shape the corporate esteem.
And have some real numbers to match the narrative. Remember, being bold is not enough unless you can back it up with something. Getting people to listen to your dream is part of building a great success story that will be passed down for years to come.
It’s exhilarating.
Imagine going to work every day and feeling excited. Ponder that for a second.
Most of us don’t start our days like this because we don’t decide to work on something that is bold. Being bold and having a vision to go to well beyond average is exciting. Feelings drive us to do so much in our lives.
When you are excited about what you are working on, it will change the way you perform. I find that when I’m excited about what I’m doing, I don’t focus on what stands in the way. Your goal should be to experience how great it is to operate with positive feelings. Being bold helps you feel that way.
Companies and individuals who choose to be bold are inspiring; not just because they accomplished big things , but because they also instigate growth, progress, and movement for themselves and others around them.
Perhaps it’s time to unleash boldness in the pursuit of your goals. If it isn’t naturally a part of your operations, try adding these seven actions to your daily repertoire, and see how much faster boldness propels you toward success.
1. Be clear about your flat spots and key differentiators. Bold companies and the talent that drives them are clear about what they are and what they are not. They know when they should take bold action and when they should remain more reserved. They minimize the risk for themselves and others by constantly reassessing the team and engaging others to accommodate for areas of weakness. Want to be a bold? Engage others who can complement your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
2. Keep your priorities straight. Companies which routinely jump into action without a plan are not bold, but rudderless. Bold organizations know their objectives and prioritize them clearly. They can risk more often as their vision is clear and focused making it possible to identify more readily the right time to act. Maintain clarity about what you need to accomplish and seek those chances that will move the team forward. Avoid unimportant activities that lead to distraction. Do not let the tyranny of the apparently urgent get in the way of the truly important.
Boldness comes when companies begin to make value based decisions and move, more determined than before, toward what they believe in….By being clear about where they are going, how fast they will get there, and by writing goals that are time based and from which they will not waiver, they increase the likelihood they will boldly take action that will compound into great success.
3. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable We all admire the great performers who constantly challenge themselves and others to step outside their comfort zones with a spirit of boldness and adventure. They are the ones who realize fortune does favor the bold, and they see seizing the day as both a fundamental right and a pragmatic reality.
Because of this, they are always challenging the existence of the comfort zone. They try innovative ideas, they confront and shatter old rules, they create new and innovative ways of doing things, and they are willing to attempt the seemingly impossible.
4. Pair plans with wisdom. Helen Keller once said, “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” She reminds us all being bold is actually not more risky than playing it safe. If you don’t risk anything, you actually risk more. And fear, the opposite of boldness, can’t keep us safe from the business world’s sometimes random shortfalls and setbacks.
Even though bold companies lean into action, they are rarely considered rash. They apply the same sense of action to learning and due diligence as they do to any other activity. Bold companies want to make sure their actions lead to success, so they investigate before leading their team to the charge. Improve your odds of success by doing your homework. You’ll increase your confidence and your success rate.
5. Deeply respect failure. No one is totally comfortable with failure, but bold companies understand greater rewards are earned in greater risk. Still, they know how to avoid catastrophic loss and work to always protect the team. Bold companies also know how to use risk to their advantage. They harness the energy and adrenaline and make sure that every failure is a learning opportunity.
Learn to live with fear, the occasional scraped knee and unanticipated outcomes without letting it steal your will or derail your vision. Understand that failure is essential in learning, as long as you fail forward.
Make failure an acceptable part of your process. Train everyone how to analyze and mitigate risk so those unanticipated results happen without real damage. They may, in fact, lead to happy accidents. When they just lead to dead ends, train people to learn and reboot.
6. Make the most of small victories. Many companies delay action waiting for the “right opportunity” before stepping forward to take action. Sadly, sometimes that right opportunity never comes. Bold organizations understand that rarely is any situation perfect from the beginning. They seek to optimize success in any situations, among a myriad of variables, so that they can routinely create wins. Celebrate them, even if they are small. Cumulatively, consistent little victories spell success, attracting followers.
Start with a small opportunities you believe you will win, craft a solid strategy, and take bold action. Winning builds confidence as well as your reputation.
7. Master momentum. Bold companies recognize a single victory is not enough to sustain competitive advantage. They work to develop a logical plan designed to help the organization gather confidence, speed, and power. Like a great coach, their leadership has a sense of when to pour energy into a drive forward and when to let the momentum itself carry things forward efficiently.
Craft your strategies so each progressive step builds on any advantage gained previously. Capitalize on any win that garners attention, earns respect, and amplifies popularity. Activate your fans, cultivate relationships, and build buzz.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
Norman Vincent Peale
Boldness is not an inherited trait nor is it naturally built into a company, but it is a characteristic you can manifest when you decide to build uncommon success. So, when will your finest hour come, and how will it be crafted by you? When will your greatest action be manifested, and how will that greatness be placed on display?
Do you really think it will be created without a determined act of boldness, courage and audacity?
What bold initiatives are you planning today to carry out this week?
Perhaps courage is not a word people use to describe you…yet. That does not matter. You can learn to develop the heart of a lion.
Starting right now, find that place inside you and a compelling reason for mustering up just 20 seconds of boldness. Your life and the speed with which you create results will improve dramatically and exponentially. That is right, just 20 ticks each day can turn your life around.
Today, act with boldness in every given situation. Positively SPEAK UP; act with complete confidence in your company, your team and yourself; and expect that everything will go your way.
In every meeting this week, boldly share your objectives while clearly understanding the aspirations of others. In each presentation, boldly present your ideas and ask thought provoking questions to help you craft a story which motivates others to act. In every negotiation, determine to boldly state your goals while seeking to understand the goals of others so you can quickly get to ‘YES’!
Anything you need to accomplish, go after it with the confidence and conviction you absolutely will achieve it. You can do whatever your mind can dream up….Discover your innate boldness, then use it to change the world.