Leaders With Courage

Posted on November 29, 2008 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

The conviction to take action in the face of challenge and opposition is what Courageous Leadership is all about. Being a courageous leader does not mean that you act foolishly, but that you balance ethics and reality - with making brave decisions to move you and your organization boldly into the future.

The following are a few characteristics of what Courageous Leaders do:

• Leaders with courage are the first to take steps in a new direction


• Leaders with courage are willing to shed old paradigms for new


• Leaders with courage are willing to take calculated risks


• Leaders with courage are true to themselves - and not to what others want them to be


• Leaders with courage listen to their gut


• Leaders with courage are willing to step into their fears


• Leaders with courage act with respectful determination


• Leaders with courage stand firm in spite of varying opposition


• Leaders with courage honestly share their convictions with others


• Leaders with courage live out their values


• Leaders with courage choose to pursue their dreams

“Where you need to go - you have probably never been before and the chances are not too many people have gone there either. The road is sometimes long, scattered with many challenges and worst of all, can seem incredibly lonely. It will call for courage on your part. Many great leaders paid the ultimate price due to the fact that they had the courage to challenge the status quo – Martin Luther King, Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, … the list is endless. Their courage carried them to their graves. Welcome to the world of courageous leadership.” (Kairos International)

Challenge: What step of courage do you need to take?