Photo by *seafield

Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s facing up to it.

When I hear the word ‘courage’, scenes of Tom Cruise in ‘The Last Samurai’ and Tom Hanks in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ often come to mind. Thanks to our Hollywood blockbusters, the term ‘courage’ conjures images of a hero standing up to overwhelming adversity, fighting a much stronger enemy, or putting oneself in a dangerous situation for a greater good.

The consequence of such messaging is that we tend to overlook subtle acts of courage in our lives.

Merriam-Webster defines courage as:

mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

With this understanding, facing up to fear and challenges in very mundane situations can be considered courageous as well. It may not be as heroic as what you see in the movies; it is courage nonetheless. This realization is important because there seems to be a prevailing notion that average folks like you and me are living in circumstances which does not call for us to be courageous.

As such, we stop being courageous; we stop living up to a higher standard or calling inside us. It’s a slow desensitization to good human qualities and resignation to a life of mediocrity.

We have courageous people around us. It’s just so subtle that you do not notice it. Perhaps, even the person him/herself may not realize they are displaying courage. I hope to create awareness of these good qualities happening around us, so that they can be encouraged, emulated and propagated.

Here’s 3 ways that you too, can be courageous when at work:

1. Stepping Up And Taking On New Challenges. - Earlier this week, we had a client visit. My colleague Jennifer (not real name) was tasked to make a presentation to the clients. This was not something that Jennifer normally does, but she volunteered herself. Knowing Jennifer to be an outspoken and eloquent lady, I didn’t think this task would be of any challenge to her.

   Boy, was I surprised during the rehearsal to see her stammering and having to read off the notes. It was quite a contrast to her usual self. The pressure of being put in the limelight and subjected to others’ scrutiny was getting to her. It was obvious she was nervous.

   However, what impressed me was her persistence to complete the rehearsal, even though her lack of performance was obvious to all. She didn’t allow others’ negative judgment about her performance stop her from doing what she had to do. After the rehearsal, she went on to rehearse the presentation by herself many times, and not surprisingly, went on to deliver a successful presentation.

   Jennifer’s courage allowed her to step up to new challenges, and step out of her comfort zone. She could have made excuses to back out, but she didn’t. She focused on the task at hand, faced her fear and overcame it; thereby bringing herself to a higher standard of performance. I was touched by her admirable courage.

2. Admitting To Your Own Mistakes. - I’d noticed that some people’s reaction to making a mistake is to get defensive and find excuses to wriggle themselves out of the situation.

   Having made a few major blunders myself during the course of my career, I can honestly understand the mentality behind this; there is just too much to lose. Admitting to mistakes can sometimes have dire consequences for career growth.

   However, I find that such approach is very short-sighted and in fact stifles career advancement. My experiences tell me that openly admitting to my mistakes actually helps my career advancement in the following ways:

   • Learn from mistake - admitting my mistake allows me to honestly review what went wrong, and how it can be improved the next time. It helps me to grow as a person. Making excuses will deny me this chance to learn.
   • Sense of responsibility - most of the time, people do know who made the mistake. By being open and honest about it, it shows people that I am a person who can shoulder greater responsibilities and face up to the music during crisis. As a manager, being honest about my mistakes displays my humility and helps earn the respect of my team.
   • Integrity - finding excuses often requires little lies. When I tell a lie, I often end up having to tell another lie to cover up the first lie; it’s a vicious chain. I end up with constant guilt and fear of being discovered. Now, I rather face the music, maintain a clear conscious and have the freedom to move on. Practicing integrity can be very liberating.
   • Trustworthiness - I noticed that over time, people tend to trust you more easily when you practice integrity and take responsibility. This not only helps greatly in career growth, but it also fosters a trusting work environment which is focused on bringing value, not defending individual’s self interest.
3. Doing What You Believe Is Right (And Living With It). - Many decisions in business aren’t as straightforward as we think; there are often trade-offs between choices that we have to balance. Also, there will be times when we need to make tough, unpopular decisions for the long-term benefit of the team. The following examples will illustrate what I mean:
   • Do you fire a long-serving employee who consistently failed to perform and is affecting the team morale? He is in all honesty a good and nice man.
   • Do you say ‘no’ to a client’s unreasonable request to protect your team’s welfare; at the same time, risk to lose this major deal, and risk the jobs of your team?
   • Who do you fire during a retrenchment exercise? The long-serving and experienced ones OR young and driven ones?

   There is no definite right or wrong answer to the above questions; you can argue them either way and it is not my intention to do that here. My point is to highlight the challenges needed to make these judgment calls. It does take courage to shoulder this kind of responsibility and to live with the consequences, positive or otherwise.

   Notice that people around us are making these decisions everyday. Maybe you’re one of them!

So you see, courage is not as uncommon as you may think it is. You can be courageous, and I believe you should. You already have what it takes to:

• Take on greater responsibilities and challenges.
• Be brave to try, make mistakes and learn from it.
• Live your life based on your principles and values.

If you choose to, you too, can be courageous at your workplace, regardless of how the environment or circumstance may dictate otherwise.

Look out for courage in your workplace and share it with us. In what other ways do you think we can display courage at work? Please share in your comments.

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