A courageous leader knows that there is a cost in genuine leadership
Malala Yousafzai is a teenage Pakistani school student who, in retaliation for her high profile campaign for education and criticism of the Taliban, was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman. Thankfully, she survived the wound and has become a leading spokesperson for human rights and education for girls.
Becoming Courageous
You can only soar as high as your courage will take you. To think that you will be effective and still have everyone love you, avoid all conflicts, never make mistakes or fail, is to live in fantasy. Ask yourself, what action am I avoiding because of the cost? It could be an interpersonal, professional or financial cost. It might be the cost of a long and arduous fight or the cost of redesigning and re-engineering systems and processes. It might be the cost of alienating key staff people or even higher ups. Choose just one area with a “minimal” cost to start with and do the hard thing. Say the hard thing. Once you realize the world hasn’t ended, move on to the next. You will realize that you are slowly but surely becoming courageous!