The Courage Expert, part II

Welcome to everything you always wanted to know about courage at work, but were afraid to ask, part two, or the second part of our interview with The Courage Expert, Sandra Ford Walston., if you prefer something less Hollywood.

The first part of our interview set up the many faces of courage and in part two we apply it to the workplace, in particular, women in the workplace. We look to find out who decides if we have been courageous at work, courage leadership –is it a lifestyle choice, where will we find our courage supplies, can courage be taught and what is the impact of courage by today's women on the next generation?

I'd like you to take this final thought with you - courage is like air, we only notice it when it's missing.

Make sure your courage tank is full before you need to use it. Let us know how you have done that already or better still, are intending to, after reading this interview?

"Courage Change Agents"
Most organizations have not developed a courage leadership program that supports "courage change agents," much less distinguished the value of courage in the individual spirit. First, the individual must declare a courageous intention to display their courage.

Does it matter if this behavior goes unnoticed? No. As mentioned before, in the end, your journey is about your dignity. Inserting your spirit at work makes a positive and practical difference, such as the dignity to dare or learning how to combine "where courage meets grace."

Look around and you will observe in your midst a courageous person. It is the leader who guides or mentors his or her team members to move from their leadership strengths to embrace their "challenged" leadership areas. Size does not matter and one size of courage does not fit all. What most organizations don't do is stop to celebrate individual or organizational courage defining moments demonstrated by the "courage change agents."

Wider Impact
In today's business world, courage actually has a much deeper meaning and a more relevant role, especially for women. Let's consider some very real possibilities for both genders:

• A woman has been passed over for a promotion and is upset. How can she find the courage to speak up and state her qualifications?
• A man has made an error in a corporate proposal for a customer. How can he find the courage to be vulnerable and admit his mistake?
• A woman learns she has an illness that might jeopardize her career. How can she face her fear and summon the courage to affirm her determination?

While none of the above examples are perilous, life-threatening events in the typical sense, they are all common occurrences that challenge both genders to test their every day courage. Without this vital virtue, a key part of a human beings' spirit is lost.

Only eleven percent of women perceived themselves as courageous, the remaining group can learn to tap into a valuable personal reserve by exhibiting workplace courage, whether it is taking a stand on a creative topic or taking a professional risk.

Courageous people "step up" to the next level. As a result, they process choices more quickly and take action more willingly. They design their lives rather than letting outside influences dictate who they are or what they should be. That's why I love the ancient Chinese proverb quote: "He who hesitates before each step spends his life on one leg."

Courage Quotient
Courage leadership is a lifestyle choice. Ask yourself: Why would you want to exhibit the efficiency that functions with courage leadership? The answer: you will discover that there is an indisputable direct correlation between your "courage quotient" and your "success quotient." How does this start?

When you begin to live in the "present" you can recognize (in the moment) when you're selling your soul! For example, all too often people assume that finding a new job will be difficult, so they remain complacent (complacency is a courage killer), mistakenly believing - or simply hoping - that things will change.

Yet, in reality, situations seldom change by themselves. They only change when you take the initiative to make the situation reflect your heart's desire. To show courage, decide when it's time to face the truth or prompt a change, and then be eager to discover the next opportunity. Facing the facts and taking action are required if you wish to change your life.

Deceptively Simple
The concepts presented here are deceptively simple. The mind (ego) will want to undermine (or obliterate) them. After all, how could something so easy, work?

René, you wrote in your article "Simple Courage" that people at all levels of work shun simplicity for complication. You shared two reasons, "Simplicity takes talent and dedication, and it requires a great deal of courage. It takes courage to advocate simplicity. Simplicity has nowhere to hide and neither do those who advocate it." We become courageous by being courageous - it's that simple!

All you have to do is decide whether this forgotten virtue is worthy to learn. If Stephen Covey's "8th-habit" - leadership - calls you to "help others find their own voice," then making that a habit requires declaring your courage. Leadership qualities are defined by courage, such as asking for the tough project no one wants or staying focused on the results (regardless of the sacrifice). What would motivate you to explore today where this ancient virtue fits into your work life? If you are receptive, you will find sometimes you're on balance and other times you slip down a step.

Aerial Photograph
People are beginning to be curious about their own courage and they are starting to redefine their perspectives and viewpoints. I guide them through a "Three-Step Process to Integrate Courage" to uncover their "personal courage."

Like learning yoga, the process requires time and dedication - more than a mat and towel. The three-step process is akin to taking an aerial photograph of your courage. Imagine if you were to survey in a low-flying airplane new terrain. On first pass, the new area looks unfamiliar with no apparent distinctions. The second time around, you spot some points of reference, such as a riverbed or small lake. You may ask: "How did I miss that?" The third time, the terrain starts to make sense. Finally, through simple exposure you gain familiarity. It is the same with courage.

The problem is that most people want answers, not self-reflection. They prefer a courage pill for quick relief. That's why the United States is going through the biggest prescription drug usage in history. People are more apt to take a drug to deal with conditions in hopes of getting better, but instead, they become bitter. Suffering lies in an unfulfilled heart.

Courage Identification
Recognizing and identifying with other courageous people makes a difference because it gives you permission to be courageous.

Courage is usually identified with fictional drama or soap opera sagas, sorrow, sensationalism, unrelenting suffering, famous people or the historical deceased; otherwise, they wouldn't be on television, make history books or be featured on a PBS documentary. Great and rare leaders who became legends start as "ordinary and simple" people. With overwhelming odds, larger than life Martin Luther King, Jr. or Golda Meir merely acted from their hearts and applied the behaviors of courage such as manifesting a vision. Their presence lent considerable strength to their cause and their legacy portrayed the depth of their courage.

Your Birthright!
I will address first my research on the feminine behaviours of courage established in Courage: The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman. Chapter Three is called "Innate or Acquired," and at least sixty percent of the original 11 per cent I spoke with perceived courage as an innate virtue.

My opinion on whether courage is a matter of process and training or can it be taught or discovered covers one umbrella: courage is your birthright! The reservoir of courage resides within each of us. When you give courage permission to surface you learn to cultivate and nurture it. However you choose to come by it really doesn't matter. What matters is your receptivity.

"Declaration of Courageous Intention"
Ask yourself this question: Do you have the courage to create a "Declaration of Courageous Intention" (DCI)? Most people are reluctant to give themselves permission. Why? They know their lives will change! In my second book, Courage Goes to Work, the DCI is the title of Chapter One and this document evolves as your read the book.

Life is rarely anguished free. It takes "personal courage" to face the challenges of who you are capable of being. Are you willing to live your life with courage in a new way?

Courage Blueprint
By gaining control over the blueprint that governs their belief system women everywhere can foster courage. Being "lady-like" is one societal perception deeply imbedded in the psyche of our culture. The woman is focused on others and is reserved, supportive, considerate, and compliant. Such limited aspirations paralyze women and cause them to flounder about in the traditional deep-rooted definition of courage: being physical, daring or representing valor.

A woman's desire to be "accepted" can undermine her personal demonstrations of courage. Additionally, women need to purge from the female psyche the use of "indirect aggression" (Chesler, 2001)—a vicious and manipulative behavior used against each other.

Unsung Stories
To change or reclaim your courageous will, look for female role models that display workday courage. Role models are imprints for change; they light the path. As more women recognize and subscribe to the behaviors of courage, such notions will no longer be deemed unusual. Other women will be encouraged to display their courage, and their collective behaviors will ease or even erase the idea that "by nature, women are not courageous."

When women bond together to advance courage in the workplace, they find the strength and determination to hurdle the daily workday challenges that confront them, such as equal pay or top positions. Eventually, the unsung stories of courage and the current denigration of courageous women will be replaced by acceptance and admiration just as it is in men.

Women who view themselves as courageous have a distinct advantage in the workplace. Not only do they have the power to direct their lives, but also they are more willing to accept the success that comes from taking a stand or making a change. Truly courageous women have learned to overcome the business world's stereotypes in an effort to lead more fulfilling professional and personal lives. Katherine Graham, the former CEO of the Washington Post is a great example. Many say she was the greatest CEO of American history. Clare Boothe Luce, another "grand dame" lived in Katherine's time period. She is known for saying, "Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount."

By integrating the virtue of courage and instilling it into the workday, women everywhere have the opportunity to take action and call on courage, or "turn up" the quantity they already possess. That's a good thing if we plan to pass this feminine energy on to our daughters, nieces or the girl next door.

Defining Moments
Additionally, I suggest women watch for career defining moments, such as being passed over for a promotion, not receiving a fair raise, being spoken down to or having your boss publicly reprimand you. Recognizing these workplace incidents is the first step to reclaiming your courage.

Unfortunately, many women misinterpret these defining moments and respond in defeating ways when the correct choice would be to declare their courage. They may believe these events are "part of the job" or they may feel that in some way they deserved the unfair treatment. They become the martyr in order to keep the peace or maintain the status quo, which ultimately stifles their courage further.

If you find it difficult to recognize the defining moments in your own workday, ask yourself what events make you upset, angry, uncomfortable, embarrassed or cause you to acquiesce. Chances are those are the times you will want to display your newfound courage. The first step to reclaiming your courage is to realize which specific events challenge your effectiveness, and then acknowledge the pattern that undermines your progress.

I would love for women to be able to animate their individual courage consciousness, celebrate collective courage and pass it on.

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