Courage

by Tom Pryor

I've watched television with shock and awe this week as courageous men and women confront their fears, their mortality and their enemy. The courage I see and read about was not created during the war for Iraqi freedom. Instead, their courage is being exhibited in this war.

While the battles that you and I are facing likely pale in comparison to those on the battlefields of the Middle East, they are personal wars nonetheless. Maybe you've been laid off and searching weeks for a new job. You may be managing a company through a recession, facing the challenges of being a single parent, battling a disease, avoiding confrontation, or attempting to muster courage to follow through with a change you know in your heart and mind needs to be made. Or you may be a person who has a spouse, family member or close friend serving in harms way. In every instance, courage is required.

Courageous people don't just exist on the battlefield. They can be found all around us if we look for them. Courage is like the red truck. When I purchased a red truck a couple of years ago, I began to notice red trucks at every turn. Those red trucks had always been there … I simply had not been looking for them. If you specifically look for courageous performance and people in your daily life, you will find examples to model like those I've seen this year:

1. Courageous people express their convictions. I admire the courage of Dr. David Parson, a former Air Force "Top Gun" and now, world-renowned pediatric surgeon in Greenville, South Carolina. I learned about him in a book titled Executive Influence. Dr. Parson openly shares his faith in Jesus Christ with both peers and patients. Before surgery he asks each patient, "Can I tell you what I did this morning? I prayed for you."(1) Dr. Parson offers anyone that asks a free CD-ROM of his life-changing testimony. Send an e-mail to parsonsdav@aol.com and you'll be in awe of what you freely receive.
2. Courageous people overcome obstacles. I admire the courage of John Casey, one of ICMS' first customers some 14 years ago. John lost his CFO position in 2001, confronted prostrate cancer in 2002 and beat them both. This month John made a career change, joining Tatum CFO Partners LLP as area managing partner of the Dallas office. Courage requires love, not hate. John loves to help people. As a result of his giving, John actually gets what he needs.
3. Courageous people learn and grow. Bob Doig, owner of an industrial parts distributor, had the courage to let go of his familiar cost and pricing method and adopt ICMS' new ABC-based, Gross Margin Profiling methodology. Many small to medium size business managers shy away from new tools and techniques. Not Bob. Had he not had the courage to implement ABC, there would be sales and profits in 2003 that might have been forever lost.
4. Courageous people lead others. I admire the courage of my pastor, Barry Cameron. Barry cast a vision in 2002 to move our 2,000 member, 15-acre church to 142 acres during this recession. When finished in the next few months, Crossroads Christian Church's new facility will be able to serve thousands more families. Courage requires devotion. Barry is totally devoted to serving and fulfilling the will of God.
5. Courageous people open doors that others can enter. On February 26, 2003, at the American Association for Homecare leadership conference, I had the opportunity to serve on a panel with John Kemp. John's a principal with a Washington DC law firm. John has mechanical arms. That disability did not stop him from achieving a successful law career. John has become a strong activist for every person with a disability. I admire the fact that John has the courage to use his mechanical arms to push open the doors for not only himself, but for thousands of others who need help.
6. Courageous people have zeal for change. On a February 25th flight to Florida, I met Mick Gosdin. Mick is in the process of re-directing his military courage into corporate entrepreneurship. Having just completed 32 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Mick is launching WeatherWorks in April 2003. WeatherWorks is a satellite-based weather radar service that can be installed on private aircraft, watercraft or even farm equipment. Do you have an idea for a new product, service or business? Develop courage to launch your idea by talking with an entrepreneur.
7. Courageous people begin with an inward battle. Courage isn't the absence of fear. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. Allen Evans is such a man. I've never met Allen, but I know that he serves in the U.S. Army. I went to www.presidentialprayerteam.org and signed up to pray daily for an U.S. military person. I was assigned Allen, his wife Susan and their child. Allen and his family are serving our country. I consider it a privilege to pray for Allen and his family every day.

We can't buy courage, but we can develop courage, like that exhibited in the previous examples. Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived though this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Here are things we can do to develop courage:

• Take a giant step. Cowards sit down. Courageous step out. As Zig Ziglar says, "You can't feel your way into acting. Instead, you must act your way into feeling." My wife and I have decided to take a big step this year. We're selling our home. We don't know where we're physically going. But we do know where we're financially headed… debt free! It's a giant step, but we want to know what it feels like to be totally debt free!
• Talk to that person. Most people avoid confrontation. Is there a family member, friend, employee, boss or co-worker you need to confront with an issue or need? Gather your thoughts and then gather up the courage to speak to them this week.
• Just say no. Most people lead busy, undisciplined lives. There are times when it is appropriate to courageously say, "No, I can't do that. I need to be home with my family." I've learned that multi-tasking results in progress but not completion of important projects. Stop juggling and just say no to urgent, but unimportant tasks.
• Stop compromising. Courage and compromise don't mix. Courage is when you choose to take a stand for what is right at the risk of losing something you love. I used to compromise my Christian walk by drinking alcoholic beverages. In fact, I loved good bourbon. But when I recommitted my life to Jesus Christ in February 1994, I mustered the courage to stop drinking. If I hadn't stopped nine years ago, I would be compromising my leadership abilities and the lives of other people who are looking for an example of a disciplined life.
• Take time to dream. Dreaming requires courage, because on the heels of every dream is the demon of doubt. I had a dream four years ago of writing a business-fiction book, modeled after one of my all-time favorite books, The Goal. (2) Part of that dream was to co-author it with my pastor. I mustered the courage to ask him, and Barry accepted the challenge. Our manuscript, titled "The Principles", is completed. We're now waiting for the publisher to roll the presses.
• Face current reality. Refusing to face reality is denial. Organizations, like people, often live in denial. To improve our organizations, and ourselves our feet must be firmly planted on the soil of what is. According to Andy Stanley, author of The Next Generation Leader (3), to be courageous, we must live by the seven commandments of current reality :
  1. Thou shalt not pretend.
  2. Thou shalt not turn a blind eye.
  3. Thou shalt not exaggerate.
  4. Thou shalt not shoot the bearer of bad news.
  5. Thou shalt not hide behind the numbers.
  6. Thou shalt not ignore constructive criticism.
  7. Thou shalt not isolate thyself.

Victor Hugo says, "An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an invasion of ideas." (4) If you are facing a battle, don't hold a pity party. Take hold of the idea and truth that you can overcome fear with courage. Search out and act out models of courage. Fight for your family, fight for your job, fight for your company and fight for your beliefs.

Leadership expert John Maxwell says, "One person with courage is a majority." (5) Winning the battle begins and ends with you. Go - fight - win.

(1) Executive Influence, Christopher Crane & Mike Hamel, NavPress 2003
(2) The Goal, Eli Goldratt, North River Press, 1984
(3) The Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley, Multnomah Press, 2003
(4) Thinking for a Change, John Maxwell, Warner Books, 2003
(5) Maxwell Leadership Bible, John Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2002

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