Peter Bregman: Emotional Courage As The Key To Leadership, Episode #12

Masters of Leadership

Emotional courage is one of the key strengths that effective leaders must have. That is from Peter Bregman, my guest on this episode of Masters of Leadership. Peter is one of those people you meet in life who blows you away with both his competence and his depth of insight. He is eager to learn and eager to pass on what he learns, and in this episode does a great job of explaining why emotional courage is such an important characteristic for leaders. You will hear what it takes to truly connect with the people around you, why being willing to feel anything is what enables you to accomplish anything, and the importance of killing distractions in order to get the important things done.

The mindset you bring to what you care about is the foundation of connecting with the people around you

What do you truly care about in life? Knowing the answer to that question is foundational to everything you do. But going a step further, understanding the mindset that you bring to those things that you care the most about, is key to truly connecting with people. Peter Bregman says it is this passion and the mindset behind it that enables you to not only truly care about the most important things in your life, but also the people that are related to those things and the accomplishment of them. Don't miss this conversation, Peter shares a wealth of insight from his research and writing that you won't hear anywhere else.

When you don’t act, it’s usually because there’s something you don’t want to feel. But if you’re willing to feel anything, you can do anything

When it comes to developing emotional courage, certain mindsets have to be in place in order to make headway. Peter Bregman says one of those things is the willingness to feel anything. He points out that when we don't act it is usually because we are afraid of what we will feel if we do take the action in question. But if you have already resolved that you are willing to feel anything you have to feel in order to accomplish the things that you care about most, then you will press through the difficult emotions with courage and ultimately reach your goal. If you are like me, his words resonate with you deeply because you know that they are true. Take the time to listen to what Peter has to share. It is 22 minutes well spent.

If everyone on your team is moving toward multiple priorities, you can’t productively move forward together

In today's world, most people allow themselves to take on too many things that they consider priorities and dilute their ability to care as deeply as they need to care about the things that truly matter. When this happens in the context of a team there is no way the organization can move toward the most important things on their radar because the members of the team are focusing on a myriad of things. In this conversation, Peter Bregman highlights the importance of getting everyone on the same page and headed in the same direction. It's the only thing that will enable us to get big things done through effective collaboration.

Emotional courage is required in order to choose to shut off distractions and do what is truly important to you

Peter Bregman doubts that there has ever been a time in the history of the world when distractions were so prevalent. He notes that in order for us to have our conversation, he had to turn off a number of notifications so that we would not be interrupted. That is just one example of the kinds of things we battle to maintain focus and productivity in the digital age. Peter says it requires emotional courage to make the decision to shut off the distractions and do what is truly important. We have to ignore the feeling of insecurity that arises when we consider that we might miss an important email or not be the first to respond to an issue. It's not easy, which is why it requires courage. Find out how Peter describes emotional courage and the way leaders can facilitate it within their teams, on this episode.

Outline of This Episode

• [1:35] Peter’s definition of leadership: When you are moving in a direction that is different than everybody around you
• [3:38] Why Peter works to help leaders become more powerful and courageous
• [8:05] Peter’s advice for those who are leading while trying to move to the next level
• [11:33] What Peter has learned about the importance of focus and avoiding distraction
• [14:51] Tips or tools to block out distractions
• [18:48] What do you care most about and how do you address that care with your greatest competency?
• [19:30] Peter’s tip for becoming a master of leadership: practice and take risks

Resources & People Mentioned

• Peter Bregman - CEO of Bregman Partners
• The Bregman Leadership Podcast
• BOOK: 4 Seconds: All The Time You Need to Replace Counter-Productive Habits With Ones That Really Work
• BOOK: 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get The Right Things Done
• Stakeholder Centered Coaching
• Boomerang email tool
• BOOK: Deep Work
• The Marshall Goldsmith Group

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