3 Ways Disruptive Leaders Can Cultivate Great Courage

Welcome to Leading Disruption, a weekly letter about disruptive leadership in a transforming world. Every week we’ll discover how the best leaders set strategy, build culture, and manage uncertainty all in service of driving disruptive, transformative growth. For more insights like these, join my private email list.

“Am I ready to do this?”

That question crosses my mind every time I push the broadcast button. 

The truth is, doing a livestream is minorly terrifying (my palms still get sweaty)! I haven’t reached the point yet where I think, “Oh, this is easy!” 

But I’ve learned how to channel my nerves into a state of excitement and a sense of confidence, knowing that it’s going to be okay — no matter what happens.

Sure, my livestreams aren’t always perfect. Sometimes there’s no sound; other times, no video! But it’s better than not doing it at all because I know how important it is to share my message.

So how can disruptive leaders cultivate bravery in the face of uncertainty? How can we move forward when there’s no clear answer? On Tuesday’s livestream, I discussed what it means to be brave — and how to practice. Let’s start with:

What exactly is bravery? 

Merriam-Webster defines “brave” as having courage and “courage” as the ability to do something that frightens you or having strength in the face of pain or grief.

Notice anything about this definition? 

It’s not about NOT having fear! If anything, it's about fully experiencing it, truly understanding it, and still choosing to take action.

To me, being brave is rising to the occasion — whether you’re prepared or not. The reality for disruptive leaders is that we have to deal with uncertainty if we want to keep our organizations moving forward and create change!

But what does being brave actually look like?

Let’s be real: Stepping up in the moment can be hard! Sometimes, we feel like we can’t overcome our fears and other emotions. And sometimes we fool ourselves into believing we don’t have what it takes — we aren’t brave enough to do what we have to do. (That’s the worst!)

But remember: being brave isn’t about being an unfeeling leader. Quite the opposite! It’s about facing your fears, understanding what they mean, and relying on the strength of your convictions to shine through in those moments of uncertainty.

Here’s what bravery looks like in action:

1. Not burying emotions. I won’t just tell you to “feel the fear and do it anyway” — it’s not that easy, right? But it’s important to get comfortable with the emotions and understand them. Being brave is saying, “Yes, I’m afraid, but I won’t let that fear change my path.” Instead of shoving your emotions down and pretending they don’t exist, think about how you can harness their power. When you can do that, you can create a safe space for your team to express their emotions, too. 
2. Setting boundaries. Yes, it’s great to know how hard you can push, but humility is just as important. (Spoiler: You can do anything, but you can’t do everything!) You have to know what you’re capable of and recognize when you’re doing too much. It takes a heck of a lot of courage to say no — to someone else and to yourself. But that doesn’t mean you and your team should stay in your comfort zone; you just have to clearly define the edges and be brave enough to say, “Enough is enough. We can’t go any further.”
3. Moving forward — even in the face of uncertainty. As leaders, we often feel alone. But if you’re driven by what you’re trying to accomplish, you have to keep moving forward. That’s what makes a support network (whether it’s your team, your peers, or a group outside your organization) so powerful. You can lean on them during the dark moments and challenges and know that they have your back. You’re never really alone!

So how can you cultivate more courage?

As a leader, you’re visible, and everyone’s looking to you to be brave and lead the charge.

But what happens if you’re not feeling brave? Or if you don’t succeed? How do you pick yourself up after a failure? How do you continue to be brave when things don’t go according to plan? 

Here are three ways every leader can cultivate more courage:

1. Create support systems. If you want to be brave, you have to ensure your operations (the physical assets that comprise your organization: the people, processes, customers, community, core values, vision, strategy, and leadership) are solid. When uncertainty comes your way, you want to feel confident knowing you have the systems in place to meet challenges head on. Ask yourself, “How resilient are the elements of my support system? Where do I need to strengthen the system?”
2. Have confidence that it will work. Where can you find opportunities to stress test and apply the bravery-building work you’ve done? Start small so you build your capacity to take on greater uncertainty. When you find a good opportunity, ask yourself, “How am I dealing with the emotions? Are the systems working? Is the team strong enough to take this on?” The more you practice, the more you’ll build your confidence and see that things will be okay — no matter the outcome.
3. Assess your team. Take an honest look at your team. Can they be brave? Will they be brave? Are they prepared for a crisis? Don’t wait until a problem arises to find out that you don’t have the right people or the right systems in place to handle it! Ask yourself what you need as a team to systematically build your systems, increase your confidence, and strengthen your relationships so that you come together instead of falling apart in moments of crisis. 

So let me ask you: Can you be brave? Will you be ready to handle the uncertainty headed your way? Are you prepared to face the future with courage and conviction? And will you be resilient in the moments when you fall short? 

I hope so because part of being brave is having a deep well of resilience, which is what I’ll be talking about next week! Join me next Tuesday, April 19 at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET for a discussion about building resilience into yourself as a leader and into your organization. See you then!

Your Turn

Share a time when you had to be brave. What was the experience like? Was it hard? Where did you draw your strength and courage from? How did you keep moving forward, knowing it might not work out? Be brave and leave a comment! 😉 I’d love to hear from you!