LIFT Consulting » Courage as a Skill

Courage as a Skill by Kathleen K. Reardon

Harvard Business Review – January 2007 issue

Reprint: R0701E

In Reardon’s 25 years of studying human behavior in organizations and in interviews with more than 200 senior and midlevel managers who acted courageously – she has learned that high-risk courageous acts such as: blowing the whistle on corruption at the highest level; refusing to work on pet projects that might discredit the organization; making investments in environmentally sustainable technology despite pushback from hostile board members, is rarely impulsive and doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.

She cites these acts as “a special kind of calculated risk taking … through careful deliberation and preparation,” by good leaders who strengthen their chances of success and avoid career suicide. Reardon states that business leaders acquire the skill of business courage through “decision-making processes that improve with practice.”

Reardon has created the Courage Calculation for making success more likely while avoiding rash, unproductive, or irrational behavior. At the core is virtuous behavior. It is made up of six distinctive processes:

Setting primary and secondary goals
Determining your goals’ importance
Tipping the power balance in your favor
Weighing risks against benefits
Selecting the right time for action
Developing contingency plans

Each process includes questions for consideration and examples. Reardon asserts that courage in business rests on priorities that serve a personal, organizational, or a societal philosophy. When coupled with the Courage Calculation, managers are better empowered to make bold moves that serve their organizations, their careers, and their own sense of personal worth.