Everyday Courage

#80 of the 365 Things I Learned From 365 Days of Learning: Make a point to practice everyday courage.

In the summer of 2010, I had the privilege of visiting South Africa to enjoy the very first World Cup on African soil. While I was there, I made sure to visit Nelson Mandela’s house. It was a small brick house in Soweto, full of awards, mementos and history. Throngs of people joined me at the small, refurbished house, to pay homage to a giant of a man who has touched so many lives.

Some of the bricks in the house were replaced with brass plates that had words of inspiration and motivation on them. I took pictures of many of those bricks – one of my favorite said simply: Courage.

I look at the picture of this bronze plated brick whenever I feel that I am facing a large challenge or opportunity. In the middle of this past week, I found myself flipping through my pictures to spend some time contemplating this brick before going into an important meeting.

In addition to providing the boost that it always does, looking at the brick also reminded me of #80 of the 365 Things I Learned From 365 Days of Learning: Make a point to practice everyday courage.

I've found this is something to be remembered every day – in life and especially in leadership. Consider this:

• You may find yourself in a room where you disagree with the suggestions that are being made. You can decide to stay silent, or be courageous and speak your mind. After all, if you are going to be in the room, you might as well be in the room, right?
• You may have to have a difficult conversation, or make a difficult choice.
• You may make a conscious decision to operate outside of your comfort zone so that you can grow.
• You may decide not to fight a particular battle so you can position yourself to win the proverbial war.
• The time may come where you have to be an advocate for yourself, for your worth in a negotiation or for a member of your team.
• You may have to decide if you will act in a way that is aligned with your values and priorities – or not.

These are all examples of opportunities to practice everyday courage.

On Day 48 of My 365 Days of Learning, I read a great HBR article called Cultivating Everyday Courage. I recommend it. That article explores the idea of “competent courage,” and the principles that serve as guardrails for those who endeavor to be competently courageous, including:

1. laying the groundwork
2. choosing your battles
3. persuading in the moment, and
4. following up

That article inspired a (re)commitment to “make a point to practice everyday courage.”

Could you benefit from making that (re)commitment? What role are you playing right now in your life or in your work that requires you to practice everyday courage?

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My name is Pamay. I am a lifelong learner, a lover of laughter, words, big ideas, and serving my community. I am the Chief Learning Officer at the Kraft Heinz Company and the Chief Experience Officer of The My 52 Weeks of Worship Project.

On February 1, 2019, I made a professional commitment to learn something new every day and share it out to my Kraft Heinz Family. On January 31, 2020, I completed 365 Days of Learning, part of an effort to model what it looks like to #LearnLikeAnOwner and #MakeTimeForLearning in an organization undergoing a learning transformation.

As a result of that year of learning, I created a list – the 365 Things I Learned From 365 Days of Learning. Enjoy reading about all the things!