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​​​​​​​​​​LEADING WITH CHARACTER!

​“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Steve Jobs

​Listen to Story 1.

Introduction

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action, and follow it to an end, requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

​Finding courage is never easy, whether it’s just doing the morally “right thing” or putting one’s “life on the line”. Courage is situational; it dwells in unexpected moments and is displayed, when the situation requires, by people who believe in themselves. 

People with courage are willing to go well beyond their personal comfort zones and accept the risks of bodily harm, physical and mental pain, and the stigma of failure. They act unselfishly in challenging situations and put the welfare of their teammates ahead of their own. 

It often takes courage to do what’s right, and adhere to a higher standard of personal conduct. Those  with courage lead by example, and take the responsibility for life’s tough decisions, especially under stress and pressure. Courage is an inner strength that enables a leader to take that extra step when the situation requires. 

Courage

According to Wikipedia, “Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death, while Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, discouragement, or personal loss.” 

It seems very likely that these two types of courage are demonstrated together in challenging situations. We are morally challenged to do the “right thing” and, in order to do that, we must summon physical courage and subject ourselves to the possibility of bodily harm. The following paragraphs will explore these two types of courage in a little more depth. 

Physical Courage – Physical courage is the type most people think of first, the one that allows us to risk discomfort, injury, pain or even death - running into burning buildings as a firefighter, facing an enemy on the battlefield, climbing a mountain, or protecting a child from a dangerous animal. Sometimes there are things more important than our pain, and physical pain becomes just another challenge we must meet on the way to helping those who need our help. 

We all hope that when called upon to face a crisis, we, too, will be willing and able to risk our physical safety to save our own lives and the lives of others. 

Obviously, we can’t schedule circumstances in which we can exhibit our physical courage. But we can prepare ourselves for such events before they occur. Even if we have courageous hearts, if we can’t walk up the stairs without getting winded, then we’re not going to be up to the task when duty calls. So, we need to get ourselves in the best possible physical shape in order to be ready when we’re needed. 

Yet a strong body is not sufficient if we wish to develop physical courage. To develop physical courage, we must also learn to discipline and train our minds.  People who have worked in dangerous environments tell us that the way they overcome fear is to rely on their training. The goal of this training is to make their responses automatic. They don’t have to think about what to do because it’s already built into the circuity of their bodies and minds. 

Even if we’re not in professions which require us to train for dangerous situations, we can still prepare ourselves for those situations. We can become proficient in a martial art, learn how to perform first aid and CPR, and make physical exercise a regular part of our routines. And the training need not be situation specific; any challenge that pushes us beyond our comfort zone - and makes us face pain, discomfort, and fear - will make us better prepared when our physical courage is required. 

“Physical courage, which despises all danger, will make a man brave in one way; and moral courage, which despises all opinion, will make a man brave in another.”

Charles Caleb Colton

Listen to Story 2​.

Moral Courage - Moral courage  means we do the right thing even when it is inconvenient, or when we may be subjected to unfavorable judgments or personal loss. Moral courage requires us to make decisions which support our highest ideals. It asks us to accept responsibility for the consequences of our actions (and our inactions). 

Moral courage is seen in individuals who, when they uncover a moral challenge, explore potential courses of action based on their own moral values, and select the morally right course of action regardless of the possible negative personal consequences associated with this course of action. 

We can prepare ourselves for moral dilemmas in challenging situations, where it is our responsibility to choose a course of action, by clearly defining our own personal values and living them on a daily basis. Then, when the time comes to make a decision, we are “spring-loaded” to the morally correct one. 

“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.”
Ronald Reagan 

Listen to Story 3​.

Conclusion

“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

Maya Angelou 

Courageous people believe in themselves. They know who they are and what they stand for. They have strong values, recognize their personal capabilities, and are confident in meeting the challenges that lie before them. 

Courageous people know the difference between right and wrong. They don’t just talk about honor; they live it every day by following the letter, as well as the spirit, of the law. 

Courageous people aren’t deterred by adversity or afraid of what people may think of them. Courageous people aren’t afraid of swimming against the tide or challenging the status quo. They stare adversity in the eye - running toward problems rather than away from them. 

Courageous people step outside their comfort zone to meet the challenges that lie before them. Courageous people put other people’s needs ahead of their own. 

Having courage doesn’t mean we are not afraid; it simply means that, when we are afraid, we choose to keep going. There may be times when we want to do the right thing, but our feet are “jammed” due to fear. We don’t let our fears stop us from doing what should be done. We “unjam” our feet and meet the challenge. 

Listen to Story 4.

“Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world which yields most painfully to change.”
Robert Kennedy

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​Courage

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