Cutting-edge entrepreneur, CEO, and author Sonia McDonald is on a mission to shake up the leadership space
Cutting-edge entrepreneur, businesswoman, and courageous leader Sonia McDonald is on a mission to shake up the leadership space and help leaders get their mojo back post-pandemic, with her new book “First Comes Courage.”
In my recently released book, I explore the power of leading with courage and offer you all great insights and tools to develop, nurture, and grow courage within you and your teams.
After a forced lifestyle change in 2006 caused me to reassess my life, I joined the consulting world and discovered my purpose in inspiring people to learn and grow. My flair and passion for leadership and strong writing talents gave me the courage to start the LeadershipHQ blog in 2007 where it quickly became a must-read for leaders looking for a more people-centered way of learning.
With a growing following and the desire to make an even greater impact, I established the LeadershipHQ consulting business in 2008 and then McDonald Inc. in 2019. Since then, we have helped thousands of leaders through our advisory work, keynotes, coaching, workshops and presentations across the Globe.
‘Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.’
Maya Angelou, poet & civil rights activist
Courage and leadership must go hand in hand. Courageous leadership comes when we capitalise on the motivation we build once we harness fear and generate fortitude. Combine that with kindness and understanding to lead our teams, and we will inspire individuals within them to join us on this journey of discovery and growth. We have the opportunity to inspire courageous behaviors in our teams to deliver better results.
My thoughts on courageous behaviours and courageous leadership raise some potentially uncomfortable questions, though. Does courage exist without the presence of adversity? Do courage and adversity have the same integral relationship as fire does with oxygen? Is it possible that the fire of courage can’t exist without the oxygen of adversity?
There is an argument that the true presence and strength of courage in our character is only tested through difficult circumstances or through our involvement in dangerous conditions—that it is only developed through multiple exposures to adversity and the ensuing perseverance required to overcome them.
In our roles as leaders of our teams, as parents, and as community members, we have to ask a question. If we say we have courage, but it has never been tested, are we potentially misleading others around us and causing damage to our personal reputation, our connections to others and our authenticity? In this situation, are we ultimately misleading ourselves? These are very valid points to ponder.
Where does courage come from? Is it an innate, instinctive behaviour or a learned behaviour that is developed over time?
“In First Comes Courage, you will be introduced to the courage compass which you can use to guide your own leadership and teams selflessly – building them up and enabling them with the tools they need to achieve success,”
“You will learn to lead through example, using the four points on the courage compass: Kindness, Impact, Purpose, Resilience This book will empower you to be spirited, confident, dauntless and selfless in all aspects of your life.
“You can be strong as a leader and be kind. You can be courageous as a leader and be fearful. You can be a leader without the title. But first comes courage.”
Grab it via Booktopia, Catch, Amazon or https://soniamcdonald.com.au/
For more information or to request a copy of “First Comes Courage” please contact Sonia McDonald.
For more information, please contact Sonia McDonald and her team at:
sonia@leadershiphq.com.au
Phone 1300 719 665
About the Author – Sonia McDonald
Founder and CEO of Leadership HQ and McDonald Inc. Leadership coach, entrepreneur, CEO and author.
Sonia McDonald is changing the face of leadership across the globe. She believes we should lead with kindness and courage, from the heart, and is known for her mantra ‘Just Lead’. She leads by example in all these areas and through her transformational coaching, leadership training programs and cultural transformation for organisations and encourages others to do the same. Sonia has helped thousands of people on their leadership journey to become the best version of themselves and in turn, inspire and bring out the best in others.
Sonia is a founder and CEO of McDonald Inc., LeadershipHQ and Global Outstanding Leadership Awards and the newly launched Courage Conference. For more than 25 years, Sonia has been on the front lines of leadership and she is beyond committed to her mission around building a world of great leaders.
She has held leadership positions worldwide and through experience, research and study come to realise what it takes to be a truly great leader. She has been recognised by Richtopia as One of the Top 250 Influential Women across the Globe and Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs.
Sonia has an ability to speak bravely and authentically about her own development as a leader, personal and career challenges in a way which resonates with her audience. She is a leading coach, an award-winning published author of newly released First Comes Courage, Leadership Attitude and Just Rock It! and has become an in-demand keynote speaker on leadership, kindness and courage.
Sonia has become recognised for her commentary around the topic of leadership, kindness, empathy and courage as well as building outstanding leadership across the Globe.