FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
August 14, 2006
Creating Courage
Great leaders act with courage when others don’t. They approach difficult situations, seize opportunities, and make and act on better decisions. Courageous leaders imbue the organization with confidence, character, and focus.
Wimpy leaders are not really leaders at all.
I think most of us understand and buy into the importance of courage. Author Gus Lee wrote a great book called, Courage: The Backbone of Leadership. Lee writes that courage can be learned.
We've seen the power of courage. We've also been reminded of the dangers of cowardice and apathy.When an executive shows courage by facing her fears, even her critics are secretly inspired. But when a boss folds to uncertainty, the courage and capability of the organization become as usable as confetti in a tornado.
Courage is a stunning quiality: it is learnable. I, a former poster boy for cowardice, know this. In an inner city ghetto, I accepted fear as my master and made daily sacrifices to it from a quaking heart. Bullies cultivated a taste for my blood. Tiny tots and girls fed up by my crying could pound me. My two exceptionally clever moves of fleeing and blaming others proved unsuccessful. I shouldn't brag, but I was a very entertaining little kid.
I was sent to a YMCA boxing program to save my life. The tank top kept falling off because it required shoulders. In shorts, black socks and scuffed Buster Browns, I looked like a toothpick in a tutu.
My coach recoiled, "Aw, cripe, kid, ya make me wanna cry." Facing a body bag that was bigger than me, I burst into tears. When Coach hit the bell for me to fight, I dove through the ropes, instantly smacking into a wall which acute myopia had failed to detect.
Coach Tony knew that training and practice reverse the habits of fear. It is the one way courage is learned.
I agree. Courage can be learned and ought to be taught!
As a leadership trainer and coach, my career has been dedicated to the care and feeding of management and leadership. I have been openly critical of many MBA and corporate university programs because I think that while they teach some good stuff, these programs often ignore teaching the GREAT stuff – the most important stuff.
Case in point. After graduating from an MBA program or partaking in corporate training programs, how much time has one spent talking about courage and learning how to be courageous? It’s nice to have that degree or certificate program listed on your resume, but will your coursework help you be great?
If you know of any college or corporate programs that do an excellent job building courage, let us know by leaving a comment. Let’s give any success stories lots of kudos and reinforcement.
And if you are involved in choosing and delivering corporate or university courses, ask yourself if you are doing enough to build leadership courage.
Lisa Haneberg
Posted by Lisa Haneberg at August 14, 2006 7:07 AM | Category: blogjam 2006 |
4 Comments
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Great theory. Courage? Now trying working for a CEO with his hand in the till, writing Marketing and Business Plans to cover million dollar kick backs to Ad agencies who live next door to him. Or, multi-million dollar cost "overruns" to gaming interests, then pumping up production budgets 122% on unsuspecting sales and marketing departments to sacrifice them for his 'oversight.'
Courage? yeah, sure. Courage to keep the resume tuned up. Courage to keep the contacts in your industry honed sharp, headhunters on speed dial 1 and 2.
Courage is doing what you know is right and having the confidence that others will benefit from your actions.
Courage is seeing the talents of people instead of what they obviously do wrong.
Courage is staying the course of continuous improvement when the chaos tries to suffocate you.
I agree with the idea of courage being taught with practice. I can see it in my son. He is a high school sophomore playing varsity football. He has raw talent but is timid right now. Every day, I see him getting better and taking more risks. Why? He is getting more and more repititions. He is learning how to use his talent and strength. He is learning to be courageous (without even knowing it)
Stephen - That's cool. I am not a parent, but it strike me that there is a real downside of schools cutting the extracurricular programs because this is where some of these broader and more important skills are cultivated. They are not really EXTRAcurricular at all!
Stephen,
I agree, courage may not be something which we are personally aware of - I recall many examples where "courageous" individuals discount the idea that they had courage and spk of a lack of a lack choice to do otherwise.
This lack of choice ( which manifests itself in the perception of others as courage) , is a product of practice and repitition ( something not lost on the great spiritual traditions).
Great observation and thanks for sharing it.