Resolution 2024: Act with Courage

Whether you look at the political, business, health, or climate landscape, it is clear that we face a permacrisis of disruption. In the face of uncertainty and geopolitical and economic upheaval, we can put our heads in the sand or blame others—or we can have the courage to take a stand for what we think is right.?

The good news is that we do have some leaders who act with courage. The bad news is that there are still too few of these leaders to meet the challenges we face.

For the John F. Kennedy 2019 Profile in Courage Award, Caroline Kennedy defined courage as “the strength to do the right thing, no matter the cost.” Why don’t more people act with courage? A key reason is that many don’t perceive benefits that outweigh perceived risks. We may choose the more immediate safety of silence or complicity over the longer-term benefits of courage and integrity. But leaders must understand that inaction is a decision, too. And when looking back at past decisions, not doing the right thing is the choice many ultimately come to regret.

As we enter a new year, we offer three concrete actions we all can take to become more courageous leaders—whatever challenges we will face.

1.????? Challenge conventional wisdom

?

Challenging conventional wisdom involves questioning long-standing assumptions that others may take for granted.?

Jensen Huang, founder, president, and CEO of Nvidia, invested in graphics processing units (GPUs) long before there was a market for them, which was viewed by industry leaders at the time as a mistake. Today, Nvidia makes most of the GPUs powering AI models. Huang also pioneered an unorthodox culture, challenging many leadership assumptions. For CEOs, conventional wisdom is to have as few direct reports as possible. However, Jensen has more than 40 direct reports because he believes that flat, horizontal organizations are more agile. He promotes radical transparency, with meetings open to all. He shares his evolving thoughts publicly while inviting feedback and incorporating that feedback in real-time. He has no individual meetings or status reports—he only asks that his team routinely email him the top five things on their minds so he can see the individual and collective pictures of what is happening in his organization. In 2023, Nvidia tripled in value and has outperformed every other company worth more than $1 trillion. Nvidia ranked third on the Drucker Institute’s list of best-managed companies of 2023.

Resolution 2024: Challenge. Be a devil’s advocate. You can challenge both norms and colleagues constructively with trust, compassion, and respect by simply suggesting, for example, that it might be helpful to consider an alternative view, question old assumptions, promote diverse thinking, or explore a broader set of options.

2.????? Speak truth to power

?

Speaking truth to power requires candid, frank, and direct communication—especially when the stakes are high. Too often, people go along to get along. It is no doubt uncomfortable to speak up for what you think is right, particularly to a powerful boss or a group of leaders marching in the wrong direction or failing to act in the face of a threat.

Former US Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) made the decision to speak her truth regardless of consequences. When she spoke out and voted against her party’s leadership, she knew she might lose her position and influence. Yet she did so anyway, taking a lead role on the US House Select Committee on the January 6 attack investigation in order to defend the United States' democracy. Regardless of whether or not you agree with her politics, you must admire her courage. In 2022, Cheney was one of five recipients of the Profile in Courage Award alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

Resolution 2024: Speak the truth. Raise your hand or ask a question. If you are in a meeting or hear about something happening in your organization that you feel is not right and is perhaps dangerous or ethically wrong, let someone else know. If possible, ask a question. "Why are we doing this?” or “What are the consequences of this choice?” You need not be a public whistleblower. If possible, find a less drastic way to share your concern or surface the issue, or ensure that someone else with more influence or power is aware of the potential for harm.

3.????? Try something novel

Stepping into an uncertain, changing, or messy situation with no certainty of the outcome takes courage—perhaps more than when the consequences of your action are clear. But the adage, “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” applies. To make a positive difference in your organization and the world, you must be willing to risk trying something new, even when you are not guaranteed success.

Beth Ford is the CEO of Land O’Lakes, a century-old, $19 billion dairy cooperative and Fortune 500 firm that is one of the United States' biggest producers of butter and cheese. Since becoming CEO in 2018, she has pioneered novel initiatives to address new and disruptive environmental and farming sustainability challenges. She initiated unconventional ecosystem collaboration with the farmers, retailers, and producers to align stakeholders with diverging views in order to further rural broadband access, reduce the company’s carbon footprint, address food supply concerns, and promote environmental stewardship. She is staying the course, even as ESG efforts have become politicized.

Resolution 2024: Try something novel. Experiment with curiosity and embrace the unknown. Try a nontraditional approach or radical collaboration when tackling a complex problem. Experiment with an open, curious mindset, accepting you might fail or even be embarrassed. Those are the risks that come with breakthrough innovations, risks that are necessary to embrace in order to make progress. Even if you fail, you will have learned something valuable.

?

Turning resolutions into action

We believe that 2024 is the time to be more courageous—to act with purpose and integrity, and to inspire others to do the same. None of these actions are easy; all require risk-taking, conviction, and discipline. And building your courage can take time. Much like many other New Year’s resolutions, it can be helpful to start pragmatically. Pick just one of the actions above. Perhaps adapt it to your situation. You might be hesitant or fearful, and you may fail at first. But the rewards of your perseverance, strength of character, and newfound wisdom will be great indeed.

?