Many people have the skills and experience necessary to lead. Fewer have the courage to develop their leadership abilities by pushing their comfort zones. Yesterday morning nearly 20 elementary school children proved my point.

Their knees knocked.
Their palms were sweaty.
Their mouths were dry.
They wondered if they really had what it took.

Yet they pushed through their fears.

These children, most 10 years old and younger, stood up before an audience of nearly three hundred people and gave speeches detailing why they should be elected for their Student Council Association.

Our two sons were there on stage. Jake was running for Treasurer and Morgan for President.

But here’s the thing. These boys have friends who are equally bright, creative and talented who could serve in any of the offices with great effectiveness. One friend’s father explained that he asked his son why he wasn’t running. His son’s response was, “no way Dad! I’m not getting up there to give a speech in front of all those people.”

He simply couldn’t push past his fear of public speaking to throw his hat into the ring.

I’m willing to bet that every student on that stage yesterday was nervous. At least one of them was WAY out of his comfort zone. I suspect others were as well. And even one more naturally extroverted boy was still pretty apprehensive. Remember what you were like in 5th grade!

So, what are your fears? How are they keeping you from developing your potential? What have you done with opportunities to push the envelope in your business? How can you show courage today, to get you where you want to be in the future?

Creative Commons photo by elvisreverri.