Today’s Ask the Executive Coach tackles a hot topic: courage. People talk about being a “courageous leader” all the time, and companies say they are seeking courageous leaders. Courage is what gives leaders an edge over their competition. But are leaders naturally courageous, or do they need to learn how to do it? That’s our topic today.

Q. How can I become a more courageous leader?

Courage is a vital part of leadership, but one that not every leader exhibits, or even knows how to develop.

To answer this, let me tell you about one of my most endearing clients, George. He was a breath of fresh air as I watched him lead his team. George understood and lived out an essential character trait that takes leaders from good to great: courage.

At the outset of a new coaching relationship, I often have to challenge my clients to be risk takers. Not with George. He was courageous and took full responsibility for his leadership. When he started his climb up the corporate ladder, he never became complacent. He had to challenge himself to continually face his fears by asking for more difficult assignments.

If you want to be a better leader, focus on becoming more courageous. That doesn’t mean taking foolish risks. However, courage is a trait that can be developed and strengthened. George did that naturally, but any leader can work on becoming more courageous. And courageous leaders experience more success.

One way George had courage was by setting big goals. They worked for him two ways: He worked on them and they worked on him. George believed that once he set a goal, he believed firmly and unequivocally that he would reach it. The greater his belief, the more rapid his progress was.

Courage can be an easy thing to aspire to and a difficult thing to demonstrate in the moment.   Here are a few leadership essentials that will help you become a more courageous leader:

• Courage is about having the guts to stand behind decisions when you’re the one that will take the fall. Refuse to blame others or hide when things don’t go as planned.

• Courage demands discipline and consistency. Its enemies are distraction and compromise.

• Courage means doing the right thing even when it is dangerous to do so.

• Successful people are brave enough to try what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.

• Successful people are willing to practice a few small disciplines every day. Courage is often forged in the seemingly small details.

• Unsuccessful people make simple errors in judgment and the compounded effect over time is devastating to their life. Failure and success are so subtle you don’t even know it’s occurring. Courageous leaders self-assess, and also get feedback from others to help them see mistakes and avoid those errors in the future.

People will wait to see if a leader is courageous before they’re willing to follow his or her lead. Once people see that a leader is willing to make difficult decisions, challenge the status quo, rise above adversity, take responsibility for his or her actions, they see that it’s safe to follow. People need courage in their leaders. They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over them. They need a leader who will stay the course when things get tough.

If you are not the type of leader that runs toward the sound of gunfire, don’t worry; courage is a core leadership skill that can be developed with focus and effort. Your slight edge is made by the decisions you make every single day. Every day, indeed every decision, provides you with a new opportunity to act courageously. Just like George.

Success is a journey…start it now with attention to your high pay-off goals and making your journey successful. What are one or two goals that you can achieve by facing your fears and having courage? Leave a comment below to tell us your story.