Eammon Percy
Eammon Percy
Eammon Percy

Action, Courage, Character, Tenacity

Great leadership is built upon many small actions we take throughout the day, punctuated periodically by severe crises and significant decisions.  However, in order to prepare as leaders for the severe crisis and significant decisions we must practice daily leadership, so when called upon, we have the mental and emotional preparedness to deal with the significant challenges of the moment.

I have found the ACCT a great reminder of the important aspects of being a daily leader.  Being significant in the small actions of the day puts me into the frame of mind to be the leader of the moment.

Action – Great leadership is about getting things done.  Period.  It’s about outcomes not activity.  It’s about achieving results and making progress towards a worthwhile goal.  It’s about overcoming fear and being hungry to achieve success, all of which require action.  Nothing gets done without action.

Courage – Being in positions of leadership comes with great responsibility.  In any organization, whether a business, government, church or family, the weighty decisions are made first and easily by those in more junior roles, while the substantial decisions are elevated to the top.  A courageous heart gives us the fortitude and faith to make those decisions with the best information we have at the time and with our best judgment.  A daily dose of taking courageous actions helps build our moral fabric and makes it easier to make the difficult decisions, when the time ultimately arrives.

Character – While reputation is the way others see us, character is the way we truly are.  Great leaders need to be very mindful of their character which includes integrity, humility, gratitude, caring, wisdom, self-control, positive attitude, a loving nature, and sense of fairness.  By being aware of these traits and working hard to develop and maintain them throughout the day, we build our character and become better human beings and become more able to affect positive change.  Be mindful of the very small things you do throughout the day that can either erode or build your character.

Tenacity – Many people fail to become exceptional leaders because they have trouble overcoming obstacles.  Great leadership requires the vision AND ability to see beyond the obstacle and find way to solve problems and achieve progress.  Tenacity can be practiced, not necessarily by looking for problems, but by overcoming the vicissitudes of life in a positive, cheerful, focused and productive manner, seeking the help of others, coming up with creative solutions or mitigating the impact of the problem.  Overcoming failure often comes with lessons that accelerate our future success, so you practice overcoming challenges in a low-risk environment in preparation for the day it really counts.

Eamonn has a B. Eng. (Electrical) from Lakehead University, MBA (Finance) from University of Toronto, and has completed Executive Education at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He lives in Vancouver, Canada. Follow him on twitter @EamonnPercy