Lesson for Multifamily Leaders from The Green Lantern

I wasn’t planning on seeing The Green Lantern.

After my trip to the NAA Conference in Las Vegas, I was relaxing alone at my sister-in-law’s place, enjoying two things that were missing from the past few days: peace and quiet. But when my husband called, alerting me that I had his car keys, I had no choice but to join him and our 11 year-old son on a date with a movie superhero.

For those of you unfamiliar with the DC Comics series, the Green Lanterns are an intergalactic peace keeping force. Their special rings give them tremendous power to control the physical world, limited only by their willpower and strength. When a Green Lantern is killed, their ring seeks out a brave, honest replacement.

The film focuses on Hal Jordan, a skillful but cocky test pilot. In the end, we learn the ring chose well; Hal has what it takes to save the world, which is not the absence of fear, but the courage to overcome it. (Naturally, it also helps him get the girl.)

Regardless of your role in business – or in life – this applies to us all. We all have fear; but we need the courage to conquer it and reach new heights of success.

As an owner, courage helps you present a calculated counteroffer, rather than settle on a deal that’s not the best for you. If you’re a supplier, courage overcomes your fear to pick up the phone and reach out to prospects. And for supervisors at all levels, it takes courage to make those painful decisions that are good for the company, like letting people go.

Courage is more than a theory; it’s an essential element of real-world success. This has been validated by industrial psychologists and is proven every day in the multi-family playing field. Millions of words are devoted to winning business formulas, but none of them are possible without leaders.

And what makes a leader?

I think it's a person who makes calculated decisions to stretch further, dream bigger, and give blunt, honest answers. When given the chance to grow their business or rest on their laurels, a leader chooses to be brave.