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“Courage is the virtue that is at the centre of the golden mean between foolhardiness (excessive courage) and cowardice (insufficient courage)”.
-Aristotle
Courage is essential for great leadership. Without courage, leaders can’t do the things they must do. Courage is the mental and moral strength which helps us venture forth, confront danger, face our fears and challenges, and persevere.
Courage is one quality that drives transformational leadership and personal and institutional success. It is the single most decisive trait in a leader. Without it, one cannot lead as leaders without courage are not inspiring and not worth following.
“leaders who lack courage aren’t leaders.”
-John McCain, former U.S. Senator and Navy veteran
We often think of physical courage, but there are different types of courage – emotional, intellectual, social, moral, and spiritual courage.
Widely popular beliefs are that “Courage is big heroic acts” and “it is an attribute that only a few extraordinary leaders possess because they are born with it”.
Most courageous acts are small, but they are never insignificant. Small courageous acts stacked upon each other add up. These even include doing the right thing when it’s not easy and trying again right after failing.
One of the definitions of Courage is – “ability to do something that frightens you.”
Being fearless is not the same as being courageous.
Courageous leaders create clarity, not confusion.
A lack of courage creates stagnation.
Courage is a skill that anyone can develop.
Courageous leadership entails many things, including:-
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- Stopping ourselves when we’re about to do something wrong.
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- Challenging others when they’re about to do something wrong.
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- Setting boundaries and saying no sometimes even when it may disappoint or anger others.
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- Challenging injustices.
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- Making decisions and moving forward despite limited information.
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- Stepping into challenging situations where there’s conflict, instead of avoiding such situations.
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- Being willing to be wrong sometimes.
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- Shaking things up to move forward instead of playing it safe and maintaining the status quo.
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- Taking risks and being willing to fail fast and learn.
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- Demanding action.
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- Following through to make sure things are done right.
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- Holding people accountable for core commitments.
Building up Courage:-
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- Quantify the Best Possible Outcome. Our brains constantly evaluate either the pain or gain in every situation. Highlighting the benefits and allowing the brain to visualise them is a decisive step in the process of being more courageous.
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- Acknowledge your Fears. Write Down the Worst Possible Outcome. The human brain processes fear and control the responses to it. It is wired to avoid things that can be harmful. Getting in the habit of writing down the worst possible outcome often provides insight that the worst scenario isn’t actually all that bad.
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- Deal with the Emotions. Emotions such as doubt or fear do exist and being open and honest about them is not a weakness but a strength.
“Emotions are data, not directives. We get to choose who we want to be; our emotions don’t.”
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- Trust your Instincts. Sometimes, the most courageous thing you can do is trust your gut. If something feels off, don’t be afraid to speak up and voice your concerns.
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- Stretch Yourself. Challenge yourself by taking the initiative to push yourself out of your comfort zone. This is where real growth begins.
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- Take Calculated Risks. Before making any decision, consider the potential risks and benefits, and weigh them carefully. If you believe the benefits outweigh the risks, then take the leap.
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- Fail to Succeed. There’s not a single success story on the planet that didn’t evolve out of some mistake or the other. When you fail, take the time to reflect on what went wrong and what you would do differently the next time.
A courageous leader sets his fears aside and leads his people, team, and organisation to a better place.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
-Nelson Mandela
Quotations
“It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
“Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning.”
-Winston Churchill
“You’ll never do anything in this world without courage. It’s the greatest quality of the mind next to honour.”
-Aristotle
“Courage faces fear and thereby masters it. Cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it.”
-Martin Luther King
“God, grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.”
-Chester Nimitz, U.S. Navy Admiral
“When we practice the behaviours of courage, we become courageous.”
-Gus Lee with Diane Elliott-Lee
“One man with courage makes a majority.”
-Andrew Jackson
“Courage was the X factor in change. Courage is the virtue that’s needed if we’re truly going to transform our lives. Courage is the virtue that’s needed if we’re going to enact anything that is significantly important to us. Courage is the virtue that’s needed if we’re going to change the status quo.”
-James Kouzes and Barry Posner, A Leader’s Legacy
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act despite our fears.”
-John McCain, war hero and former U.S. Senator
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady, diplomat, and activist
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
-Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”
-Billy Graham
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Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.