I have spoken a lot in recent blog posts about courage and how it is such an important leadership characteristic. But courage is also an important team member characteristic.

Earl Nightengale once said that, "The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice...it's conformity."

When army officers issue an operations order, they include a statement in the order called "Commanders Intent." The purpose of this statement is to provide people with guidance so that decisions can be made and action can be taken in the face of ambiguity.

The same can be applied in the work place. If you are a leader, make sure your people understand the overall purpose of the task at hand. If you are a team member, take responsibility for understanding how your task fits into the bigger picture.

Add clarity in the face of ambiguity. Understand your "manager's intent."

Leaders are called upon to do many things, and those things often conflict with each other. They require a unique balance of sometimes opposing characteristics.

The first set of characteristics that I believe is required to be a successful leader is the balance of courage and humility.

People often look to time management techniques when forced to do more with less. But, consider a different approach. Consider engaging in conflict to save time.