Recently I watched a Public Broadcasting System program, Freedom Songs: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement and I was reminded of a quote from Paulo Coehlo. He once said that “One has to understand that being brave is not the absence of fear but rather strength to keep on going despite the fear.” How poignant that he had the wisdom to see the multiple faces of courage.
First, Coehlo speaks to the necessity that bravery is not just about weathering a storm. But, he speaks to how people survive regardless of the circumstance. Someone cannot really be called brave until they keep pressing on during a traumatic situation.
Also, true leaders know that tenacity is essential. This inner wisdom amounts to the courage to keep on moving in the middle of a crisis situation or the unexpected. It is what makes great leaders. And it does not have to be anything major. It can be just the everyday conflict. Above all, this is what it really takes to be courageous!
Finally, tenacity for leaders is not defined when they are standing tall and revered. But, it is when they are in the trenches, speaking up for their convictions or taking unpopular positions. Why? Having the courage to take a stand, despite persecution or ridicule, is what is needed to be called brave. One resounding example is Fred Shuttlesworth, a noted civil rights activist, who passed on this week.
Life may not always be threatening but take out the fear factor and the real leaders will rise to the top.
-Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
