You don't lack courage (here's what's holding you back)

THE ART & SCIENCE OF LEADING SELF
The Power of Courage

My friend, it was the Summer of 2005 and I found myself facing a situation many leaders dread.

I needed to have a difficult conversation about performance with a key member of my leadership team. The timing wasn't ideal - we were 3 months away from deployment. I knew I needed to maintain a productive working relationship with this individual while also addressing performance issues that could impact our unit's effectiveness.

I felt isolated.

As the commander, I didn't have peers within my company to consult, and my fellow company commanders were already deployed.

I thought about ways to water down the conversation, but leadership rarely calls us to take the easy path. This scenario illustrates a fundamental truth about courage: it operates at the intersection of necessity and fear.

Courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Notice what this definition implies - fear must be present for courage to be necessary.

This is a crucial distinction between courage and bravery. Bravery can exist without fear - it's possible to take bold action without experiencing fear if you don't perceive any risk. Courage, however, requires you to acknowledge your fear and move forward anyway.

Your Mindset: The Hidden Driver of Courage

Your ability to act courageously stems directly from your mindset - specifically, the beliefs you hold about yourself and the situation you're facing.

These beliefs either empower or disempower you to take necessary action in the face of fear. Let's examine how different beliefs might play out in a situation like mine. Here are examples of disempowering beliefs:

• "This conversation will damage our working relationship beyond repair"

• "As the commander, I should be able to handle this without feeling uncertain"

• "If I address this now, it will hurt unit morale before deployment"

In contrast, here are empowering beliefs that could support courageous action:

• "Clear feedback strengthens relationships and builds trust"

• "My role requires me to have difficult conversations for the good of the unit"

• "Addressing issues early prevents bigger problems during deployment"

This pattern of disempowering versus empowering beliefs extends beyond leadership scenarios. Consider someone contemplating a career change:

Disempowering beliefs:

• "I'm too old to start over"

• "I'll look foolish if I fail"

• "I should be grateful for my current job"

Empowering beliefs:

• "My experience brings unique value to a new field"

• "Every attempt teaches me something valuable"

• "I deserve to pursue meaningful work"

The key insight here isn't just recognizing these different beliefs - it's understanding how your beliefs shape your capacity for courage.

When you operate from disempowering beliefs, you're starting with one foot on the brake. Your fears seem insurmountable because your beliefs reinforce their power over you.

However, when you examine and challenge these beliefs, something remarkable happens.

You don't eliminate fear - remember, courage requires fear - but you change your relationship with it. Your empowering beliefs create a foundation from which you can acknowledge fear while still taking necessary action.

This is where the real work of developing courage happens.

It's not about becoming fearless - it's about building a mindset that allows you to act despite your fears.

The beliefs you hold determine whether fear becomes a wall or a doorway.

In my case, I did have that difficult conversation. Despite my discomfort, I was direct in communicating both where performance fell below standards and what specific actions needed to be taken to meet those standards.

The clarity I had about my beliefs - that this conversation was necessary for the good of the unit - empowered me to push past my discomfort and wade into difficult waters.

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FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
Putting It Into Practice

Your path to developing courage starts with examining your beliefs. Here's a practical framework for building your courage through mindset work:

1. Map Your Terrain

   • Identify a situation requiring courage that you currently face

   • Write down the specific fears that arise when you think about taking action

   • Notice any physical sensations or emotional responses that accompany these fears

2. Examine Your Beliefs

   • List your current beliefs about the situation

   • Ask yourself: "Are these beliefs empowering or disempowering me?"

   • Challenge any beliefs that limit your capacity for courageous action

3. Develop New Beliefs

   • For each disempowering belief, craft an alternative that better serves your goals

   • Ground these new beliefs in your values and purpose

   • Write them down and review them daily

4. Take Small Steps

   • Start with lower-stakes situations to build your courage muscle

   • Document your successes, no matter how small

   • Notice how acting courageously often leads to positive outcomes, even when uncomfortable

Remember, courage isn't about eliminating fear - it's about building a mindset that allows you to act despite it.

DEEPENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Resource Corner

🤔 Ready to understand how your fundamental beliefs about yourself shape your capacity for courage? (Link)

🛡️ A key step to taking courageous action is understanding vulnerability's role in courage and leadership. (Link)

🧑‍🔬 Want to learn science-based approaches to developing courage? (Link)

👣 Want a more step-by-step approach on how to lead while afraid? (Link)

📺 Check out this resource on Netflix if you want a compelling exploration of courage, vulnerability, and leadership that you don’t have to read. 😊 (Link)

EXCELLENCE UNBOUNDED
How I Can Help You

🚀 CEO Coaching Programs: Are you a CEO who wants to:

• Skillfully navigate uncertainty 

• Lead confidently

• Drive results

Developing greater leadership capacity in 4 key domains (Mindset, Courage, Resilience, & Innovation) will empower you to do all three.

Book time to learn about the bespoke 1:1 coaching programs I deliver. During this call, we will talk about your challenges, your goals, and how we might partner to fully “unbound your excellence.”

🎤 Speaking Engagements: My mom can attest to the fact that I LOVE to talk. 😂 Now, I put that talent to work delivering talks on Mindset, Courage, Resilience, & Innovation.

A few past clients include KraftHeinz, Amazon Women @ Payments, PAHEi, & the Panamá Chapter of the International Coaching Federation (I delivered this talk in Spanish).

If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please fill out this form.

Until next Sunday,

Shawnette