~2 minute read.
When potential actions are presented, perhaps even offered to you, I encourage you to consider the following questions:
- How worthwhile is the action?
- What is the risk associated with the action?
- And, as a result of your responses to these two questions, how willing are you to act?
While there is no magic formula that will tell you what you should do, stopping and reflecting on these questions will more likely keep you in courage, than perhaps tipping you into recklessness or cowardice (both of these behaviours find themselves at the opposite ends of the spectrum, where the strength of courage sits right in the middle).
The story that follows is one of courage; one in which our guest blogger (anon.) stopped and reflected to ensure they stayed in courage and were not tempted nor pressured to possible recklessness, or comforted by possible cowardice.
I know our guest blogger well and have observed many of their acts of courage, learning from them and being inspired by them, just as the Harvard professor in this story was.
Our guest blogger’s story, in their words …
The high-profile Harvard professor was quite intimidating. He was the head of the Harvard Business School consulting arm, and this meeting was called to review the results of a recent consulting intervention at a major petrochemical company refinery.
My role had been as Project Manager over a 3-year period with the primary task of implementing an organization development methodology developed by the professor.
After initial difficulties the project went well and as we sat reviewing the initial and final safety measure results the professor made it clear that he wanted to publish an academic article describing how his methodology produced these outcomes. This made me very uncomfortable as I knew that there were many factors, some totally unrelated to the methodology, which led to the positive results.
When I mentioned that in the meeting, he challenged me strongly and argued that the methodology was the key to success. He insisted that he would produce a paper demonstrating the impact of the methodology.
I knew that he had never visited the site or spoken with any of the managers and operators and mentioned that to him and at that point he offered me the opportunity to co-author the article with me based on my on-site experience and connections with people there.
This was a very tempting offer … co-author an academic paper with a high-profile Harvard professor … wow, my ego was stroked, and this could open up many interesting opportunities for me. Colleagues in the room urged me to take up the offer. This had become a classic case of what happens when truth meets power. I knew the truth, but I was both intimidated and tempted.
I reflected for a few moments on why I was feeling so uncomfortable and soon realised that accepting this offer would dishonour my core value of fairness/justice as the major reason for the success of this project was not the methodology but was in fact the passion and commitment of a core group of operators and managers dedicated to improving site safety.
This had become a classic case of what happens when truth meets power. I knew the truth, but I was both intimidated and tempted.
So I politely rejected the offer to co-author even though the professor’s anger made it difficult for me to confront him with the hard truth about the real reasons for success beyond his methodology. He decided not to write the article after all. I felt very much relieved.
To our guest blogger, thank you for sharing your story. Just as you have inspired the Harvard professor and me to be courageous, I know this will inspire others to courage too.
If anyone else would like to share their story, please be in touch. My aim is to keep sharing stories for as long as people would like to share them.
@CourageChick
Leading with courage 