Learning and growth, individually and organizationally, do not happen in a zone of comfort. They happen in a zone of discomfort, which presents a challenge. Given the choice, most people choose comfort over discomfort.
Life and work exist on a long continuum. To stay stuck on the comfortable side of the continuum is to live halfheartedly. Personally and professionally, our opportunities expand to the extent that we work both ends of the continuum.
Courage is so central to concepts like leadership, innovation, and sales that they just don’t exist in the absence of courage.
Despite advancements in nearly every aspect of organizational life, and despite having access to leading-edge management knowledge, too many modern organizations remain hopelessly backward when it comes to the treatment of people. It makes no difference whether you work for an aging institution or a hip leading-edge tech venture, when pressures mount and dollars dwindle, too many managers succumb to behavior more befitting of a taskmaster.
Fortunately, there is a better way of leading and managing—the way of courage. Courage, according to Aristotle, is the first virtue… because it makes all other virtues possible. This is true in life and in the workplace.
Courage is alive and well within the soul of each and every worker. It just has to be activated.
Courage connects to almost every facet of organizational performance. Leadership takes courage, for example, because it requires making bold decisions that some people won’t agree with or support. Innovation takes courage because it requires creating ideas that are ground-breaking. Sales takes courage because it requires knocking on doors of prospects over and over in the face of rejection. Courage is so central to concepts like leadership, innovation, and sales that they just don’t exist in the absence of courage.
What do more courageous individuals and workplaces look like? Here are just a few of the changes you might see.
Impact on Individuals:
- Increased confidence
- Enhanced reputation
- Better ability to assertively deal with work challenges
Impact on Organizations:
- Pursuit of more aggressive strategies and goals
- More tolerance for truthful discourse
- More forward-falling mistakes leading to innovation
Courage is alive and well within the soul of each and every worker. It just has to be activated.
As a leader, YOUR courage must be activated. When you role model courageous behavior, you are building courage in individuals and institutions. The effects will be seen and felt within your employees and your organization. You will affect positive and lasting change. When you put your courage to work, the entire workplace benefits.
