Courage at Work: Leading with Vulnerability

Courageous action is hard. I get that. Courageous action as a leader is often a decision of whether to take a stand or to remain silent. It's a delicate balance between asserting one's values and avoiding potential conflict, and it weighs heavily on the conscience.

For most of us weighing a tough decision, courage is both the answer and the path.

When I’m faced with a challenging decision is when I, as a leader, need my courage most. And I must also welcome the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that exists too. Like they say, we can’t have one without the other. Courageous action often comes with feelings of fear and uncertainty.

As a leader, we are often expected to shove our fear. To swallow the doubt and anxiety we feel in the toughest, most painful moments. To take one for the team regardless of how that makes us feel. 

But why? 

What if we showed the vulnerable and real us as leaders? 

We would know that we are all human and that our very human emotions, even in the workplace, are not only safe but by the right people they are celebrated. 

Because real COURAGE often looks like:

• Sad tears when you feel deeply disappointed at the Boardroom table 

• Feeling angry when your boundary is disrespected by a colleague

• Shaking when you call out a colleague who makes lewd jokes

• Feeling deep pride & joy at your project’s success and the big bonus to match

• And sometimes, it even looks like leaving a workplace that buries bad behavior with performative gestures of goodwill.

Being a leader means unleashing the deep well of courage within while also allowing space for the other big emotions too. Elevating as a leader isn’t easy but it sure is courageous.