Take the Risk—Everyday Courage
Courage is grace under pressure. ~Ernest Hemingway
*Parts of this article were published a little over two years ago before finishing the research and writing of my book, 9 Leader Touchstones. I’m bringing it back, updated with new insights and information to expand our conversation about everyday Courage.
About twelve years ago, I decided to put my fear in check and jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Around that time, I started recognizing that the effects of fear had held me back for much of my life. I missed out on having new experiences, making the right decisions for my health and wellness, and embracing new opportunities. Skydiving was not necessarily on my “bucket list.” But it was something I thought I would never be bold enough to do. So, on August 22, 2011, I decided to jump out of fear…and a plane. Let me repeat… I jumped out of an airplane! Although I pushed my fear aside just long enough to jump, my physical reaction to fear showed up vindictively on cue.
The body’s physiological response to fear and stress is well-documented. Waiting anxiously in my seat aboard the tiny puddle jumper, as we gained altitude, I experienced all of the responses I expected. My sympathetic nervous system kicked into overdrive, and my heart rate began to rise. My breathing accelerated. My hands were cool and clammy. I was hypersensitive to my surroundings. I watched as one… two… three people poured out the open door strapped to their tandem skydiving instructor. Mostly, they were smiling. I could not, for the life of me, understand why. And then, it was my turn. Within milliseconds, my body flooded with cortisol and adrenaline. I kept telling myself, “Don’t look down… don’t look down.” Then I felt weightless and free.
I am introducing the Courage Touchstone by sharing this story, not because jumping out of a plane takes Courage. But because accessing Courage requires you to walk through things that scare you. Many mistakenly assign fearlessness to Courage, but Courage is the exact opposite. Merriam-Webster defines Courage as “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” The theoretically and empirically supported definition of Courage came from a team of researchers in 2007. They defined Courage as ‘‘a willful, intentional act, executed after mindful deliberation, involving substantial objective risk to the actor, primarily motivated to bring about a noble good or worthy end.’’1
My experiences of accessing everyday Courage are less “noble” but get their drive from seeking a worthy end. The sensation of Courage feels a lot like jumping out of a plane. My physiological reactions show up on cue. These continue until I make myself move through the fear. Then, in a semi-euphoric haze, I push through to the other side of the action that required me to summon my Courage. Typically, the push lasts about ten seconds, ten seconds of insane Courage. Then, just on the other side, I almost immediately start to feel weightless and free.
So much of what I have learned about Courage-building in the workplace started with seeds planted by my longtime friend and colleague, Bill Treasurer. I first met Bill when we served on a nonprofit board in Asheville, NC. Since then, I have absorbed his teachings on Courage like a sponge. Bill is the authority on building Courage in yourself and guiding others to build their Courage. In his book, Courage Goes to Work,2 Bill defines Courage as “acting on what is right, despite being afraid or uncomfortable, when facing situations involving pain, risk, opportunity, uncertainty, or intimidation.” I adopted Bill’s definition for the Leader-First® Leadership model because no other more succinctly captures the challenges leaders wrestle with daily. Courage is not just necessary to lead people well. It is essential. To live and lead courageously, you must push through fear and get comfortable with vulnerability. To cultivate Courage in team members, you must help them move through fear as well.
Contrary to common misperception, Courage is not isolated to bold acts of heroism. In fact, everyday Courage happens all around us. Sometimes in small decisions that affect a single person or large ones that affect others, acts of Courage move people, teams, and organizations forward, regardless of the outcome. When made through the lens of Curiosity, a courageous decision that results in a failed attempt can create an invaluable learning opportunity that shapes the next iteration. When a courageous decision leads to a successful outcome, it sparks more Curiosity and reinforces future courageous acts.
Depending on effort and practice, you can learn to become more courageous and nurture Courage in others.3 With each new challenge, neuroplasticity reorganizes and reshapes neural pathways and brain regions associated with Courage. This remodeling process makes the brain more resilient, flexible, and better equipped to confront future threats that require you to summon Courage. To understand the function of cultivating Courage, it is crucial first to understand that our brain chemistry plays a part in determining who might be more predisposed to risk-taking and who might be more risk-averse. Returning to our definition, risk plays a central part in demonstrating Courage.
When I started writing and speaking about Courage as an essential Leader Touchstone, the brain science finally clicked for me one day while traveling to a client engagement. I took advantage of some inflight entertainment and found Free Solo in the line-up.4 The documentary features Alex Honnold, largely considered the best free-solo rock climber in the world, as he attempts to conquer the first free solo climb of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan. Climbing free solo means ascending without protective equipment of any kind. Considered the purest way to climb, it is also perilous and, some would say, suicidal. Just watching Honnold’s ascent launched my sympathetic nervous system into overdrive. He is fearless—quite literally.
The documentary features a brilliant segment between Honnold and Dr. Jane Joseph, a professor of neuroscience at MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina). Dr. Joseph explained how Honnold’s brain works differently than the average human’s brain. It all comes down to the amygdala. The amygdala houses emotional response and regulation, including fear conditioning and emotional memory.5
Fear conditioning and emotional memory function symbiotically as a protection mechanism. I’ll give you an example of how it works. Several years ago, I walked onto my condo porch and heard a loud symphony of buzzing. Within seconds I felt the sensation of getting stabbed by a thousand red-hot needles. I had not noticed the hornet nest tucked away from sight on my porch eave. This experience conditioned me to fear the sound of buzzing. I jokingly tell people I have an irrational fear of “buzzy things.” Any time I hear buzzing, the emotional memory of that day sends me into fight-or-flight mode—racing heart, clenched fists, tensed muscles, rapid breathing… and running away really fast like I’m competing in the 100-meter dash.
Returning to Honnold’s story, Dr. Joseph conducted an MRI to measure his amygdala activity. By doing this, she could judge the likelihood of risk-seeking and risk-aversion based on Honnold’s amygdala response to a range of images—everyday items like furniture to more disturbing images like stabbing and ships sinking. Honnold was twice as risk-seeking as the average person measured by his amygdala stimulation compared to control subjects. His body doesn't react to fear stimuli in the same way as the average person. Honnold is undoubtedly an extreme example. However, the way his brain works shows us why some people are more predisposed to seeking out sensation or risk-seeking behavior. People with fewer dopamine receptors need higher levels of stimulation to feel satisfaction and may be more likely to take risks to achieve it.
Courageousness is inevitably linked to risk-taking because Courage requires action that puts you in a position of vulnerability. Courage involves acting on what is right anyway, despite the risk.6 Brain science helps us understand why someone with higher risk aversion would experience a more intense physiological response when faced with the choice to act courageously or not. Yet, because the limbic system can learn, in the same way that you train yourself to regulate your emotions and improve your Emotional Intelligence, building Courage is possible for any determined person. The limbic system evolves best through motivation, practice, and feedback. Therefore, increasing Courage requires an individualized approach, effort, and application.
Even fearless Alex Honnold trains his limbic system before diving into a risky free solo challenge. Before taking on El Capitan, he practiced and prepared for nearly seven years, rehearsing moves, meticulously taking and studying notes, and doing the route repeatedly with safety gear. Yes, brain chemistry plays a part in how well we manage risk. But that’s just a starting point. Building Courage is possible for anyone with the patience and motivation to practice consistently.
About Dr. Jes DeShields
For the past 25 years, Dr. Jes DeShields has studied, evaluated, and applied models of leadership, organizational behavior, and systems change across multiple sectors. From Fortune 250 and privately-owned companies to national nonprofits to entire communities, Jes's work ranges from preparing leaders to successfully run their organizations to improving the trajectory of organizations in crisis and those poised for growth. Jes founded Crescent Leadership, a business consulting and leader coaching firm based on Leader-First® strategies, her distinct methodology for organizational change. Leader-First® strategies challenge leaders and teams of leaders first to examine how their behavior reinforces conditions for enduring growth and vitality or stagnation and decline.
In 2023, Jes published 9 Leader Touchstones. 9 Leader Touchstones takes readers on the journey to becoming Leader-First Leaders, by cultivating essential leadership behaviors—Curiosity, Emotional Intelligence, Courage, Integrity, Authenticity, Empathy, Inclusivity, Gratitude, and Resilience. Known as a passionate and engaging storyteller, Jes speaks and writes regularly about the Leader Touchstones and Leader-First Leadership. She has delivered dynamic presentations and workshops to diverse audiences, ranging from multinational corporations to educational institutions. Jes is a guest lecturer at the Brooks School of Public Policy and is an instructor in eCornell's Executive Leadership programs.
Learn more about 9 Leader Touchstones: https://www.9-leader-touchstones.com/
References
1. Rate, C. R., Clarke, J. A., Lindsay, D. R., & Sternberg, R. J. (2007). Implicit theories of courage. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2(2), 80–98.
2. Treasurer, B. (2008). Courage goes to work: How to build backbones, boost performance, and get results. Berrett-Koehler.
3. Detert, J. (2018, November 6). Cultivating Everyday Courage. The right way to speak truth to power. Harvard Business Review.
4. Hayes, E., & Dill, S. (2018). Free Solo [Film]. United States; National Geographic Partners.
5. AbuHasan, Q., Reddy, V., & Siddiqui, W. (2022, July 19). Neuroanatomy, Amygdala. National Library of Medicine.
6. Brown, B. (2015). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, Love, parent, and lead. Penguin Life.
