Topic: Courage
Definition
A common and highlighted word that has been used a lot throughout our lectures regarding either leadership, Group Dynamics and High Performance Teams is "Courage".
I have to admit that such an emphasis on that characteristic has made me interested in searching about the concept and find out if my findings can confirm my own believes.
According to Winston Churchill, "courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it all others depend." He also said "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen".
As per Plato, "Courage is knowing what not to fear".
Former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, singled out two key elements of leadership - imagination and courage. Keating said, "between the conception and the execution, there is faith, hope and courage. Leaders fail when they imagine things but don't do them. We have to be bold and faithful to ourselves."
Cindy Solomon, an American Executive Coach consultant, has identified four types of courage, these are;
"Type 1 is “Blind Courage” – trying new and different ideas with little regard for consequences or negative outcomes. Many entrepreneurs operate with blind courage.
Type 2 is “Crisis Courage” – this is most usually physical courage, where action is taken with little conscious thought or decision. It can feel like a life-or-death situation.
Type 3 is “Role Courage” – in role courage the decision to act is a foregone conclusion shaped by training and acting on job responsibilities. This is the most important type of courage for organisations and leaders to cultivate.
Type 4 is “Core Courage” – in core courage we reach into the unknown and take the risk that our cou ...