Courage: The Foundation of Leadership for Lasting Change in High-Stakes, Ambiguous Environments...
Laura Toop
Leadership Transformation Consultant | Organisational Resilience & Change Strategist | #ProjectMe Founder | TEDx Speaker
We don’t always see the path clearly when we start - but with each step forward, clarity emerges. Leadership is no different. The question is: Will you have the courage to keep moving forward, even when the vision isn’t clear?
What Truly Underpins Leadership That Creates Lasting Change?
This week, I posed a question:
?? What truly underpins leadership that creates lasting change?
Many instinctively said vision.
After all, we’re taught that great leaders see the future, inspire people toward it, and make it happen.
But what if that’s not the full story?
What if vision isn’t the starting point, but rather something that evolves over time - while courage is what fuels leadership from the very first step and sustains it through uncertainty?
The Realisation That Made Me Pause
A client messaged me this week after I asked her to reflect on what had surprised her most about her progress, since her 'light-bulb' moment in our previous call...
She said:
"The biggest thing that surprised me was that once I understood how I wanted to feel*, it was easier to draft a path to get there. Even if I only identified the first steps, I can truly see the progress."
Her insight made me pause - not because it was new to me, but because it reaffirmed something I had always believed yet started to question.
I had expected courage to stand out in my poll.
But when the results came in, I was surprised:
Where Do Leaders Believe Impact Starts?
?? Poll Results:
?? Courage – 8%
?? Empathy – 19%
?? Vision – 69%
?? Collaboration – 4%
Surprised by these results? Cast your vote and join the conversation here.
I expected some disagreement, but I didn’t expect to be in the overwhelming minority. It made me wonder - have we been conditioned to believe vision comes first?
That made me curious - not to prove my own perspective, but to explore why so many of us instinctively place vision above courage.
The Research: Courage Leads, Vision Follows
For those who challenged me to back up my belief (and rightly so!), here’s what the research says:
? Courage is a foundational leadership trait.
? Courage enables vision to take shape.
? NLP’s ‘Act As If’ Principle Confirms It
And this is exactly what I see time and again in my work with #ProjectMe:
?? The leaders I work with don’t always start with a grand vision.
?? They start with courage - to challenge the status quo, to navigate uncertainty, to take action even when the path is unclear.
?? And as they step forward, the vision reveals itself.
Are We Conditioned to Believe Vision Comes First?
The overwhelming response to my poll suggested Vision leads leadership. But are we conditioned to think this way? Or does impactful leadership truly rest on courage?
From education to corporate leadership models, we’re taught that:
?? Great leaders must have a vision.
?? A clear plan is needed before action.
?? People won’t follow unless the leader knows where they’re going.
But what if that’s just an ingrained assumption, rather than a universal truth?
Because in high-stakes, ambiguous environments, real leadership looks very different:
?? The most impactful change happens when someone has the courage to act, even when the vision isn’t clear.
?? Some of the greatest leadership moments happen without a fully formed plan.
?? Leaders don’t always have the answers - they figure it out as they go.
Courage Isn’t Just the Spark - It’s the Constant
Leadership isn’t about seeing the entire path before you begin. Each step - grounded in courage - creates the way forward. What if clarity isn’t a prerequisite for action, but the result of it?
And this is where the real shift happens.
?? Courage isn’t just what gets us started - it’s what keeps us going.
Without courage:
?? Vision is just an idea with no action.
?? Leadership remains reactive instead of proactive.
?? Decisions are delayed, waiting for absolute clarity that may never come.
In fast-changing, high-stakes environments, waiting for perfect vision isn’t an option - but leading with courage always is.
The Rear-View Mirror Problem
It’s easy to wait for data to confirm what we already suspect. But leadership isn’t about repeating past patterns - it’s about stepping forward, even when the path ahead isn’t fully visible."
Too often, leaders fall into rear-view mirror thinking:
?? Waiting for certainty before acting.
?? Clinging to a fixed vision rather than adapting in real-time.
?? Reacting instead of leading.
This is why collaboration and adaptability are essential.
By engaging people at every stage, leaders can:
? Adapt in real-time rather than reacting too late.
? Tap into collective intelligence rather than relying on a single vision.
? Create lasting change, not short-term fixes.
The Final Thought: Courage as the Anchor of Leadership
We don’t always see the path clearly when we start - but with each step forward, clarity emerges. Leadership isn’t about having all the answers from the outset - it’s about the courage to keep going, especially when vision fades. The real question is: Will you trust courage to carry you through uncertainty?
If we want long-term impact, we need undulating hills, not a rollercoaster.
?? What do you think? Is courage truly the foundation of leadership that creates lasting change, or have we been conditioned to believe vision comes first?
Share your thoughts in the comments - I’d love to hear your perspective! Let's continue this important conversation.
??
#ProjectMe | Flourish in Complexity. Lead with Courage. Build Unbreakable Organisations.
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Leadership Transformation Consultant | Organisational Resilience & Change Strategist | #ProjectMe Founder | TEDx Speaker
2 天前Thank you for the re-share Engr. Rana Hamza have a fabulous weekend.
Leadership Transformation Consultant | Organisational Resilience & Change Strategist | #ProjectMe Founder | TEDx Speaker
2 天前Pawe?, hope all is well with you, I'd love to get your take on this... and very much looking forward to continuing our previous dialogue, when you have a spare spot in your diary! Have a great weekend.
Leadership Transformation Consultant | Organisational Resilience & Change Strategist | #ProjectMe Founder | TEDx Speaker
2 天前Ian, I'd love your take on this... When I was writing this article, I was thinking about our recent conversation... Have a fabulous weekend!
I help coaches and consultants attract and convert high-value clients | Supercharge your sales skills | Get fully booked with my sales program The Client Method for business owners looking to make 10K-15K months
3 天前Like anything it all depens on the lens you look through. You ask the question Laura what if vision is just a story we've been condition to believe. But what if its not - what if vision is the answer? Vision isn't always crystal cliear from the outset - it doesn't have to be a perfectly mapped-out plan but what it does give us is a sense of direction, an internal compass, so we can take the first step and that fuels us to take the second step that guides decisions even in uncertainty. Look at Bill Gates when he was a child his vision was to put a computer in every home - he didn't know how and didn't know all the steps.
VP Strategic Alliance Management
3 天前One of the most inspiring quotes I have ever heard is... There is no courage without fear!