Imagine, if you will, that you spent several weeks creating a detailed, persuasive and research-rich presentation for your department’s year-end meeting. You were so invested in this report that you even spent time on your Thanksgiving break tweaking it when you wanted to be watching football with your family. You turned it in and your boss cut out over half the pages. Ouch. What do you do? Do you tuck your tail in and never say a word? Or do you go to your boss and calmly, and rationally explain why you think those details were critical for the meeting? The answer has a lot to do with your courage quotient.
What Is CRQ?
Courage is necessary in today’s business environment. If you find yourself acting as a doormat, your ideas will never be heard and you’ll have trouble standing out among your peers. You’ll also continue to be walked all over by your peers and looked over by leadership. If you want to grow and develop in your career, it’s important to know your courage quotient (CRQ) and to focus on developing the bravery and steadfastness to take a risk when you have a great idea or you need to defend work that you wholeheartedly believe in.
However, if you are always speaking up and shooting down every idea your boss and your team comes up with without an alternative viable solution, you’ll be labeled a dealer of negativity and no one will listen to you when you do have a great plan. CRQ isn’t just about speaking up, it’s also about having the social skills and the emotional intelligence to know when to speak up, how to deliver your message so it will be heard, and how to do it without alienating your audience.
Why Courage Matters
Today’s forward-thinking companies do not want teams of yes-men and yes-women who simply accept marching orders and do what they are told. They want to identify employees who know how and when to speak up and present new ideas, new approaches and new ways of thinking. Effective leaders are courageous, and if you can show that you have a strong CRQ, you’ll stand out from your competition in interviews and set yourself apart from your peers on the job.
If you are interested in learning more about your courage quotient, Robert Biswas-Diener explores CRQ in his book, The Courage Quotient: How Science Can Make You Braver. There are also a variety of online quizzes you can take to get a snapshot of where you stand today.
If you are a talented job seeker searching for the right new opportunity to grow your career, the recruiters at Contemporary Staffing Solutions are here to help. We will partner with you to match you with positions that align with your career goals. Contact us today to amplify your job search.