What Courageous Leaders Do Differently

Most views of leadership are sub-optimal for the organizations where most types of work get done today. And so it’s time to re-think our view of courage for our modern context.

Pretending to be fearless no matter how good the reasons to be afraid, or acting like a know-it-all no matter how obvious it is that neither you nor anyone else has all the answers, isn’t impressive. Instead, admit when you don’t know things and apologize if you do the wrong thing.

Courageous leaders also know that their job is about doing important work on behalf of others. And because there are always going to be differences of opinion and limited resources, they’re willing to engage in difficult conversations and tactfully deliver bad news even if the news may hurt the other person.

Finally, courageous leaders surround themselves with, and promote, people who help them learn by challenging rather than flattering them. They reward rather than punish those who try new things, even when they don’t go well. They change outdated systems that exclude diverse perspectives.