To be "courageous" means taking heartfelt actions. The opposite of courage is not cowardice but rather being disheartened, being fearful, giving up, not doing what you deeply sense is needed and right!
A Description of Courage
From Larraine Matusak
I define leadership as the ability and passion to attain positive results by encouraging others and by working with and through others to achieve a common good. From my perspective, true leaders are courageous people. They are not afraid to take a risk and they don't waste much time worrying about what other people might think of them; they are more concerned about doing what is right and effective. They make every attempt to weave a shared vision, to align others toward a goal, and then with enthusiasm, energy, and commitment they are willing to walk near the edge and even do things that raise the eyebrows of those around them in order to reach a positive goal....and to do what is right! Their risk taking is creative, reinforced by sound judgment, common sense and a profound sense of responsibility, honesty and truth.
From Merriam-Webster:
Function: noun Etymology: Middle English corage, from Anglo-French curage, from quer, coer heart, from Latin cor more at heart Date: 14th century
To be "courageous" means taking heartfelt actions. The opposite of courage is not cowardice but rather being disheartened, being fearful, giving up, not doing what you deeply sense is needed and right!
Read Larraine's introductory blog post.
Courageous Leadership
From Chris Musselwhite
What is courageous leadership? This seems like a fascinating time to explore this question. The current economic crisis is placing new and/or intensified demands on all of us. As the head of an organization, I've certainly had to confront this over the past several months. The economic climate has been scary not only for me but for my employees and clients. The questions abound. Where do we cut back? Which projects do we put on hold? How do we preserve the jobs of individuals without risking the jobs of everyone? How do I support and encourage people that I care about? How do we manage the increasing needs of our clients and customers when our resources and their resources are diminishing? How do I channel my anxiety and anger without becoming reactive? How do we prepare for post-recession opportunities while remaining grounded in current reality? How do we keep our hearts open when they are exposed to pain felt by family, friends, neighbors and clients? For me right now, good leadership is being able to be present in an environment that feels personally risky and threatening and still finding the courage to take positions and engage in actions that I believe serve the common good. We may have different things that push our scared buttonsmand we each have to decide who is a part of the commons in our common good. It's KFLA's intention that this blog become a shared space for exploring, questioning, discussing and refining courageous leadership. We would love to hear your thoughts about, comments on and personal examples of courageous leadership?