Why courage from comic-book heroes fails...

Batman stood up to Joker, Superman stood up to Lex Luther, Asterix to the Roman army, and Wonder Woman to everyone. The core of the stories we tell our kids have personal courage deeply embedded in them.

And so we learn from an early age to link courage to brave, bold, and daring action.

At work, courage certainly holds these elements. Yet this simplistic childhood perspective is problematic. Here’s why.

Courage is taking action despite the fear

It takes courage to agree on and set a strategic direction, and even more to translate strategy into coherent follow through actions. In the privacy of the coaching room, many executives tell me about the second-thoughts, open questions, and conflicting ideas they have about big strategic decisions. A degree of uncertainty always exists. It comes with the territory.

I advise executives to see courage as facing your fears and walking towards them.

Say you’re charged with closing a production site in another country, which happens to be the major local source of employment. Rare is the executive who feels zero anxiety about the consequences for local employees, managers, and the wider set of stakeholders. But shut it down you must. Best to recognize your own fears and move towards them.

As my professor liked to say, “Walk towards your fears. They are never as strong as they appear.”

So what helps seasoned executives to step into courageous action on big decisions? What can spur those first few steps? Here are seven ways you might find novel:

• Strategic Success – other executives see you dealing with crucial issues and driving results.
• Credibility & Reputation Gains – taking on the challenge wins respect and admiration from peers.
• Career Impact – we live and learn. Taking action enhances experience and executive wisdom.
• Fewer conflicts – not to say it’s all smooth-sailing, but the arguments and disagreements are fewer in number, lower in intensity, and shorter in duration than when no action takes place.
• Lower stress and reduced risk of burnout – doing something is healthier than suffering the consequences of helpless inertia.
• Into the Leadership spotlight – sure it means more scrutiny and maybe criticism. The flip side of the coin is more attention from key stakeholders above you.
• Compensation – think of the money!

There are many more. Sadly we don't have the benefit of Asterix’s magic potion. But the list is a great starting place to explore and build in the support to take the first few steps.

How do you step into courage? All thoughts/reflections welcome in the comments below.

Photo credit: Dev/Unsplash