Courage

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again…

Who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

This is a passage from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech at the Sorbonne in 1910. I came across it while re-reading Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly. I love Brene’s work and values and I agree that this part of Roosevelt’s speech is hugely resonant for how we live, lead and work today. 

Courage is often spoken about in business but little understood. We talk about taking ‘tough decisions’ or meeting big challenges. But it is wholly possible to do these things without an ounce of courage. In fact, that’s the way most organisations do these things.

Think about the leader who announces ‘necessary rightsizing’ but without acknowledging the human cost. The middle manager who fails to challenge a decision they know is wrong. The line manager who fails to have an open or honest conversation with someone they manage. The employee who blames and castigates others rather than reflecting on their part in a problem.

Lack of courage is endemic in organisations as it is in society at whole. Which is odd when you think about the abundance of hyper-masculine caricatures of leadership we seem to be saddled with at present. Of course, this leadership style is a cover for lack of courage as much as anything else.

Courageous leadership is being willing to be wrong, being able to listen and being open to hearing other perspectives. But too often we demand our leaders are infallible, impermeable and resolute.

Courageous leadership is the ability to show vulnerability, to be human and to admit failure. But too often we worship at the altar of resilience and rock-star leadership, taking concepts rooted in good intentions and using them to demand inhuman feats from flesh and blood mortals.

Courageous leadership is doing the right thing, not the easy thing. Being willing to take the heat for difficult circumstances. Acknowledging imperfection and moving forward regardless. But too often we reward the leaders who win the awards, practice the PR or present a two-dimensional but more palatable version of perfection.

Courageous leadership isn’t about the job title you hold. A CEO can be a coward. They often are; they have further to fall.

Now, more than ever, we need Courage. These are uncertain times. They are times marked by a type of ‘cancel culture’ that Roosevelt would never have got on board with. Standing out in these fraught times can often create huge personal risk. Yet we are crying out for people – in business and in life – to do just that.  

Because standing out and standing up takes courage, occasionally when we see people doing it we look to cut them down. We write off Greta Thunberg as a child who has been misled by adults around her, because admitting that a 16 year old sees things more clearly and has more courage than we do is hard.

We look for the things people have done wrong – yes Meghan Markle has raised money for charity, awareness for good causes and started important conversations, but she’s rich and American and uses private planes so we’ll discount the good and focus on the bad. Is it any wonder then that so many of us don’t even enter the arena when the entry tariff seems to be unachievable perfection and the cost of failure so high?

How do we change this? We change it in the small moments one by one. We can’t demand courage of our leaders and fellow humans if we aren’t willing to practice it ourselves. At work there are common moments of truth where a courageous or cowardly path present themselves.

Rather than criticise or gossip about a colleague behind their back, talk to them. Share how they have made you feel, ask them how they are, what they need, what you need, how you can help. Be kind.

Rather than copy in your boss (or worse, blind copy), go and sit side by side with the person you are emailing. Share how the situation has frustrated you, ask for their help. Be open.

Rather than bitching about the latest ‘business’ decision on WhatsApp or in the pub, ask for time with the person who made it and start a conversation about why it was made. Be curious.

Rather than deflecting, arse-covering or blaming, ask for help when you are struggling, own up to being fearful or unsure. Ask for help. Say sorry. Be vulnerable.

Will it always work? No. The point of courage isn’t that you are guaranteed the results you want. The point is that by being courageous we change things for the better, small moment by small moment. Tiny courageous acts heap up over time. Little braveries build a braver person, braver teams, braver businesses and a braver world.

And God knows we need that.