The Courage to Stand Up

“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.”

- Erica Jong

We all are blessed with talents that enable us to do great things in life.  The courage to risk our talents, to say what needs to be said or do what needs to be done, is where we move from follower to leader.  Leadership courage comes from within and is available to all of us.  So as we face challenges and others look around to see who will stand up, the question needs to be “why not me?”
 
​We are all familiar with stories of personal courage in the workplace – the co-worker who professionally calls out a peer for a negative attitude during a meeting; or the administrative assistant who decides not to do a "favor" when approached to disregard a company policy. They inspire us and cause us to reflect - “what would I do?”  Their actions represent a personal choice, to sit back or engage, and the good news is we are also capable of making the right call.

Full disclosure, I have personally stood back while others engaged.  However, I do have a story that has caused me to increase my confidence to stand up.  I was a new board member and attending my first meeting.  The attendees were primarily senior managers and overwhelmingly male.  Our meeting began with a report from a young woman from another organization.  She did an excellent job presenting her material and asked if there were any questions.  A colleague next to me remarked “you look like a model!”  Following an awkward silence, the leader called for a break.  The woman was embarrassed, smiled, and thanked the group for their attention.

I leaned over to the individual at break and shared my opinion that his comment was inappropriate.  He acted surprised and said he meant no harm.  I would have normally left the matter alone but I decided to stand up – and also realized there was another step.  Following the meeting, I found the presenter and apologized on behalf of our group for the inappropriate comment. She said it was not a big deal, but I assured her it was something I needed to address.  She indicated that she had already received an apology from the individual, and she was very appreciative the matter was resolved. A successful outcome for the two individuals involved, and a lesson learned for me.

Three keys to demonstrating leadership courage:

Confront Yourself
Our values drive our behavior.  When you strongly believe something and it is violated – do you fight or take flight?  Know your core values and understand they identify you.  If your value is integrity and a peer lies to you - do you give them a free pass or state your disappointment and redefine the relationship?  Courage draws from your moral compass.

Confront the Situation
The term “armchair quarterback” involves sitting down and passing judgment from the sidelines.  Courage requires raising yourself past what is comfortable to the unknown – a personal intervention.  Step into the situation and communicate with confidence, using effective non-verbals and words to navigate a successful outcome. 

Consistency
Courage is all about our everyday behavior – most of us will not save a baby from a house fire.  Building a consistent style that models courage, and encouraging others to behave the same way, is what successful leaders do.  Courageous leaders inspire and attract others to go beyond.

Our world needs courageous leaders.  Confront yourself and the situation, and be consistent as you stand up.  Remember – why not me?