Courage is Contagious

What does courage mean to us in our daily lives? Does it have any place in the workplace? I found myself thinking about this concept, this value of courage, the other day and at first it felt too "fluffy" to be something that would have its space in an office, in a professional setup. Other more "traditional" values like honesty and transparency which are more frequently seen up on companies' vision and mission posters came to mind. But as we talk more about being "authentic" and "bringing our whole selves to work", to me the act of courage becomes even more important. It's what makes interactions meaningful, it's what builds real and trusting relationships (which is what Google keeps focusing on as the key lever of successful teams. What, then, does courage look like in the workplace?

My thoughts on courage have been influenced by Kim Scott's idea of Radical Candor, a philosophy that emphasises direct and open communication that both allows an individual to demonstrate deep care while directly challenging problematic areas. If you haven't read it yet, I highly encourage it as your next read this month.

How does Courage fit into Radical Candor? You are able to give frank, open and honest feedback because you take the time to build a relationship and genuinely care for your people. Why is this act courageous? Caring genuinely requires us to take the time to build a rapport, actually 'give a damn' about people, and take that same platform of trust and care and leverage it when you want to have the difficult conversations. Scott's main point is that the very act of having the difficult conversations comes from a place of genuine care - and that's a scary thing for most people to accept.

Another person whose work has influenced my thinking on courage is Brené Brown's work in Dare to Lead where she lays out what courageous actions look like for leaders:

• Have the difficult conversations - is someone not performing? Is their attitude a problem? Are they not collaborative? Do they not have a long-term future at the company? Speak to them about it. It's more difficult than ignoring it and hoping they get the message, but it's the right thing to do and shows respect for the individual. Be clear with your team on where they shine and where they fail, and they'll grow faster and better than you had imagined.
• Be vulnerable and accept/embrace feelings - have the strength to talk about your challenges without assuming it will make you look weak. You have to relate what's happening in the workplace to how it's affecting you and your ability to lead, act and make decisions. Employees will always respect their leaders more for being honest.
• Do not shame or blame - accept responsibility, even if it wasn't your mistake. Leaders are ultimately responsible for the outcomes of their teams. When you humiliate someone, you automatically disengage them - you don't solve the problem that happened.
• And conversely, Apologise - when you have erred, it's easier and stronger for your team if you own the mistake and collectively find ways to move it. It shows that a mistake made does not equal a negative character trait or have any hidden meaning - it was just that, a mistake. But not acknowledging it and trying to cover up or find other explanations erodes at the trust which is the core of a strong team.
• Focus on the deep causes, not on a quick fix - have the strength to lead tough conversations that get to the root cause of a problem to make sure it doesn't happen again. Have the strength to sit with being vulnerable, with ambiguity, with confusion and allow the answers to emerge - resist the urge to put a bandaid and move on.
• Live your values - people are very good at sniffing out the bull****, let's be honest. Your team and employees will figure out in an instant if you practice what you preach. Make the effort to operationalise values, as hard as it may be - it makes it easier to communicate difficult decisions when you've built a reputation of speaking what you mean, and meaning what you speak.

When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. - Billy Graham

So why do I say courage is contagious? All of the above actions are important because they are the right thing to do. Today, we don't just do business - we want to do business well, because our customers demand it, our employees demand it. Companies and brands that survive this decade will have done so on the merit of how they do business, not just what they produce or how much of it. Consciously thinking about that brings an ethical lens to the actions we take and the decisions we make. Courage is holding ourselves accountable first and foremost even when no one is looking, or asking for it - it is the best form of role modelling that a team can see. It is contagious because when people experience the impact of courage firsthand - genuine care, challenge that comes from a place of concern, seeing leaders walk the talk, hearing them apologise, hearing them share their challenges - it's like a green light for them to do the same.

When companies are working towards goals of diversity, inclusion and belonging, courage is right there when calling out a manager or a teammate for alienating language. It's right there when raising concerns about a manager's behaviour towards their subordinates. And it spreads. Maybe not all at once, but once a spark is lit, it doesn't go out. And it has the capacity to slowly grow and transform a team, an organisation, a business into a being that does its work not just because it makes money, but because it's the right thing to do.