Three Signs Of Strategic Courage

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Leaders often praise and reward heroic actions, the kinds of daring moves that “save the day.” Some try to be a hero, often without realizing it. It’s not hard to see how someone can develop a taste for the praise that comes with being heroic.?

In the extreme, heroes distract us. When the results are good and the leaders tell a compelling story, it’s not easy to question what is really going on. But sometimes great results are a clue that that something isn’t right. The wrongdoing that led to outsized results in retail banking at Wells Fargo, claims by Theranos that small amounts of blood were adequate to deliver multiple test results, or Bernie Madoff reporting steady returns, are examples. Yet in each case, some very smart people were fooled by reports of great results that were either untrue or achieved through nefarious means.?

Leaders who have strategic courage are more likely to spot bad habits, including their own. They see far ahead to the consequences of actions large and small that will help or harm. Strategic courage may mean leaders celebrate extreme heroics in actual emergencies, but also praise small acts of courage in everyday situations.?

Dr. Jim Detert’s research, described in his book Choosing Courage, shows that courageous leaders understand that when people are punished for honesty when the stakes are low, they can’t expect courage to show up when the risks are high.?

Courage to Think Differently?

Leaders who see patterns and draw inferences from multiple, even disparate sources, display intellectual flexibility. They do not default to “not invented here.” Their ability to see parallels and translate an idea from one context to another helps these leaders avoid premature commitment to decisions out of the human need to be certain.

Courage to Let Go?

A challenging aspect of strategy work is helping leaders let go. It’s common for anyone to find themselves in the grip of the? sunk-cost fallacy. When a leader is thinking about abandoning a course of action, it can be surprisingly difficult to let go.?

Imagine you are advising someone who is holding on in one of these situations:??

When leaders face major strategic decisions, they need courage - strategic courage. This requires three things:?

• A business that no longer fits their strategy?
• Ideas that are no longer valid?
• Destructive people?

These all become so much baggage, weight that is costly and exhausting to drag around. It is tough for leaders to let go of something they previously supported, but when a leader thinks strategically, it’s easier to see the value of letting go of dead weight. When a leader does let go, they show others a valuable, but often overlooked, option.?

Courageous Learning?

The most strategically-courageous leaders are also curious. They are active, constant learners? and do not limit themselves to predictable interests.?

Unlike many who focus on learning from mistakes, courageous leaders are equally eager to learn from successes. Celebrating results is great, but knowing how they were achieved shows us how to repeat them.??

Leaders who are strategically-courageous experiment, learn, adapt, and admit error, especially their own. In Meta-Leadership, I talk about leaders who show strategic courage. Leaders like Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors and Dr. Tim Renick, Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University. I also highlight leaders who didn’t, like the leaders at Wells Fargo. Studying these leaders show us that strategic courage is of inestimable value.?

For more ways to enhance your leadership, pick up my newest book!? Meta-Leadership: How to See What Others Don’t and Make Great Decisions, draws on a vast body of research from psychology and business to show how great leaders can improve their judgment and decision-making for stronger, more profitable results.?

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