In my ongoing quest to learn and understand more about courage, I recognized the need to understand more about risks, which are a central part of courage. That recognition led me to the worldwide bestselling book, Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein. In reading the book, I uncovered three…
In April, I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of Atlanta-based entrepreneurs who recently earned their Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification. This certification helps socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs better position themselves to compete for federally funded projects. I shared with this group three, critical mindsets, or mental habits, to remember as they…
I spoke at the American Camp Association national conference in February on the topic of conjuring courage to have hard conversations. It turns out, there were several hard conversations young professionals in attendance wanted to have, including holding staff accountable, making camp more racially and gender inclusive, and confronting higher ups who create hostile work…
Have economic downturns, job insecurity and social unrest during the pandemic transformed your once civil relationship with fear into something that’s become a bit more abusive? Fear, with its leery disposition and sharp tone, may have forced you into the tight spot between a wall and a hard place, leaving you stuck and stagnant with…
Rollercoasters may come to mind when you think about wild rides. Maybe even a basketball game that boils down to the final second. But, an entire calendar year? No one imagined 2020 would be as much of a nail biter as it was. It is being called the year of the pivot — the year…
So, you want to take a risk? You want to speak up with an unpopular opinion in a meeting of like minds and bring your whole, real self to every personal and professional space you occupy. You wish to have hard conversations about racial and gender equity and ask for a raise (yes, during a…
If you look at any list of must-have qualities for great leaders, you will almost always find courage included. Courage has been referred to as a defining characteristic of great leaders, the most important leadership virtue, and essential for leadership. Courage is a choice to face a risk for a worthy purpose. But, the virtue…
If you look up synonyms for courage, you’ll find words like: bravery, fearlessness and tenacity. And, without much consideration, you can easily settle on why these values and virtues would be in each other’s company. They all point to determination and fierceness. They help a person push past challenges in pursuit of a desired outcome.…
Confidence is a bit like money — everyone wants it. And luckily, everyone can have it. Where confidence and money differ, however, is in the fact that confidence always has to be built. You can’t get it from an inheritance or find it lying on the ground. You can’t borrow it from a friend or…
Wouldn’t it be great if you could prepare for courageous action like you cram for an exam — stuffing everything you need to know in your brain right before facing a test and recalling the information just in time to confidently answer. Unfortunately, growing and developing courage is not a one-time haul. The ability to…