Courage

Courage - not complacency - is our need today. Leadership not salesmanship.

John F. Kennedy

The very word comes from the heart. Coeur is the French word for heart. It's important to remember that this isn't stuff that comes from the brain; it also comes from the gut. You don't work through a set of decision-tree steps to get to it.

What we label courage is a strong emotional commitment -- and the key word is emotional -- to some ideas. Those ideas could be called a vision for where we're trying to drive the enterprise, they could be called values for what we think is important in life, they could be called principles of what is right and wrong. When people don't just have an intellectual sense that these are logically good, but are deeply committed to them, they're developing courage. When you run up against barriers that keep you from those ideals, the stronger your commitment, the more likely you are to take action consistent with those ideals. Even if it's against your short-term best interests. And other people will look at that and say, "Wow, that's courageous."

The bigger the context, the greater the barriers, the more the snake pits -- pick your own overused metaphor -- the more there will be times for courageous acts. And the people who go down in history as great leaders always meet these tests.

Fast Company, Everything You Wanted to Know About Courage... But Were Afraid to Ask. - September, 2004

Now you're ready to discover and distinguish the facets of courage. There is spiritual courage, emotional courage, leadership courage, ethical courage, physical courage, political courage and personal courage. With courageous intention, try to detect which elements you exhibit and which need to bust free.

1. Spiritual Courage: The spiritual journey requires being present to presence. It is a trust in faith that propels you to continue growing. You become a witness to your "attachments to results" and learn to self-correct. You surrender your ego to a higher level of consciousness where courage meets grace. As this happens, humility steps in to replace arrogance and righteousness.
2. Emotional Courage: Similar to spiritual courage, this involves "knowing thyself." It is a declared intent, requiring a path committed to contemplation (meditation, prayer or just taking time to stop and be) to release the false self (the opposite of your true self).
3. Leadership Courage (individual and organizational): The courageous culture of an organization honors and uplifts the human spirit (the opposite of authoritarianism or coercion). The collective intent of an organization is to lock hearts and minds to inspire. There's a heightened sensitivity to purpose with increased discernment for human beings. It means the organization (and its people) will fall on their sword to honor their collective personal courage. Courage leadership knows the difference between pride and arrogance, and humility and grace. Individual leadership courage: Rooted in truth, you know your own mind and speak it. You are willing to break the mold.
4. Ethical/Moral Courage: This is activated by the attitude of willingness to choose differently (this time), regardless of the personal hardship. The objective is to desire a higher level of integrity rather than a lower alternative. No one is happy when they fake it.
5. Physical Courage: Facing a physical limitation that challenges the human body, confronting physical dangers or difficulties, or overcoming health problems (the most understood form of courage). Practicing a contemplative life (stopping and "being") or seeking to be centered in mind, body and spirit are less appreciated physical examples.
6. Personal courage: The way of your heart might be the easiest way to understand this form. It's a blending of heart and mind, with a desire to hold yourself 100 percent accountable for your actions. With the courage to act independently, you acknowledge your spirit as the author of your fate. Feeling safe during times of uncertainty and being comfortable with the individuation of your spirit also contribute to personal courage.
7. Political Courage: Unwillingness to sell your soul is the key feature, represented by whether you stand as a politician (self-serving exploitation employing persuasion and force) or a statesmen (serving others through inspiration and teaching by example). In other words, is your intention to vote your conscience, thereby placing future needs ahead of political aspiration, such as going out on a limb to express an unpopular thought that reveals your authenticity (and we are shocked when this happens). Political courage is characterized by humility, not egotism.

Sandra Ford Walston, Courage Is Caged in the Workplace - September 2004

How can courage manifest in the workplace?

Powerful acts of courage in the workplace are possible each week. Yet we shy away from many such actions or expressions because they have such a high potential for "rocking the status quo," and would demand that we walk our talk about values, mission and purpose -- both as individuals and as an organization. Examples include:

1. Providing honest input and counsel
2. Choosing not to lay people off simply for a short-term boost in stock prices
3. Presenting outside-the-norm ideas
4. Sharing an alternative viewpoint
5. Speaking up, rather than being complicit in silence
6. Not falling prey to the perception that "working longer hours equals increased productivity"
7. Advocating for a potential new hire without much direct experience
8. Not settling for the status quo.

Jamie Walters, Courage: Tap Greater Potential and Thrive Through Challenges - March 2002