Leading with Courage

So much these days takes courage.

Throughout this pandemic sometimes just leaving our house and going into public took courage. It takes courage to even state one’s beliefs or opinions in the face of all the violent rhetoric and actions filling our newsfeed every day.

And leading an organization during this challenging time has required courage, especially as the health and safety guidelines change almost daily and the nature of work throughout the health crisis has changed.

Brené Brown writes of courage as integrity – to choose courage over comfort or in other words to do what is right even if it’s not easy (Brown, 2018, p.189). She goes on to say that, “the level of collective courage in an organization is the absolute best predictor of that organization’s ability to be successful in terms of its culture to develop leaders and to meet its mission” (p.271)

I like that idea of “collective courage.” It fits in with my belief in collaborative leadership. I define collaborative leadership as leading with the commitment to transform the way organizations and individuals work together toward a common goal. As I wrote in my book, “At its core, leadership is a relationship. Leadership is never about doing something or accomplishing things alone. Others are always involved” (Stewart, 2019, p. 31).

We’ve all had to be courageous these last few years, and really throughout all our lives at different times. But we haven’t often had to do it alone. Maybe that helps us be courageous, knowing that others are in this with us. And if we lead from that place of courage and collaboration, then maybe others will be courageous with us.

As Michele Obama said, “Courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.” Hope. What an amazing way to frame courage. Because being courageous is about taking that step from a place of hope and striving to get to a better place, a better solution, a better outcome than the current situation.

Obama also states, “Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.”

So keep hanging in there. I’ll keep hanging in there too and trying to lead with courage and with a collective and collaborative sense of hope.