--- title: "The Leadership Playbook: Leadership Takes Courage | The Sales Blog" description: "Leadership takes courage. The Courage To Say No: A leader needs to the courage to say no. You will have a lot of people from different quarters who want to do things that they believe in. They are good people with good intentions. But some of what they want won’t be the right thing to […]" image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2014-10-24-at-6_58_04-AM.png --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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You will have a lot of people from different quarters who want to do things that they believe in. They are good people with good intentions. But some of what they want won’t be the right thing to do or it won’t be the right time to do it. Leadership requires an ability and a willingness to say no. **The Courage to Say Yes**: You also need the courage to say yes. Some ideas will be so outrageous and out-of-the-box that, upon first glance, you’ll want to say no. You won’t understand the idea, and you won’t see how it fits. It takes courage to open your mind and consider something new, especially when it doesn’t look like what you already know and believe. But this is where innovation and breakthrough ideas start. Sometimes you to have the courage to say yes. **The Courage to Stay the Course**: Change can be a sexy idea to a leader, especially to a new leader. But oftentimes change isn’t what’s necessary. Sometimes what is necessary is [leadership and execution](https://www.thesalesblog.com/sales-team-management). A leader needs the courage to say no to change for change’s sake. It takes courage to admit that execution is the real issue and to double down on what’s right. **The Courage to Change Direction**: Sacred cows. History. We’ve always done it this way. A leader needs the courage to change directions, even when she changes the identity of the business. When what you are doing is no longer the right thing to do, you have to make serious change. You can’t protect the status quo, because doing so endangers your enterprise. You can’t protect the sacred cows. Real change takes immense courage. **The Courage to Stand Alone**: Leadership is about direction and decisions. You have to determine the direction of your enterprise and you have to make the decisions, right or wrong. There will be times when you will have to stand alone. You may find yourself alone when you say no, when you say yes, when you decide to stay the course, and when you decide to change. But you are the leader, and you have to decide what is right. Be courageous.   ###### Tags: [Leadership](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/leadership) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on October 23, 2014 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover (3)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(3).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(3).jpg) ### How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book As leaders, we're faced with decisions everyday—not all of which are easy to make. Learn how to make those tough decisions, hold yourself and your team accountable, and build a legacy with How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-09-22T11:04:12 PM", "datePublished" : "2014-10-23 21:00:53", "description" : "Leadership takes courage. The Courage To Say No: A leader needs to the courage to say no. You will have a lot of people from different quarters who want to do things that they believe in. They are good people with good intentions. 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