Of all leadership traits, courage is the most universally admired. Courage is about doing the right thing no matter the personal cost. Courageous leaders confront their fears and step up to the occasion. The same is true for courageous followers. Although courage is most often associated with acts of heroic bravery such as saving someone’s life. Nonetheless, most courageous acts involve a more subtle form of bravery. An employee confronting his boss about incidents of embezzlement despite the risk of job loss and other repercussions that means ensue.
Moral courage is seen from a young age when a leader intervenes on behalf of those who are being bullied or exploited. An easily overlooked form of courageous leadership is courageous followership.
Chaleff describes five elements of courageous followership:
- The courage to assume responsibility. Courageous followers feel responsible for their own well-being as well as the well-being of the organization. They are willing to challenge and support the leaders and seek feedback to cultivate personal growth. They harness their skills to create an organizational culture conducive to learning and development.
- The courage to serve Courageous followers support their leaders during challenging times.
- The courage to challenge. Courageous followers confront their leaders regarding unethical behavior patterns or destructive demeanor.
- The courage to participate in the transformation. Courageous leaders participate in the transformation of their leaders’ negative behaviors by drawing attention to areas that need to be addressed; demonstrating empathy; helping mitigate destructive behavior; harnessing a supportive environment and advocating resources that will provide positive reinforcement.
- The courage to leave. There are times when resignation from the organization becomes the only viable option for courageous followers. This is often true when leaders are unwilling to change for the better.
During a group coaching session, I complimented one of the participants for his courage to be vulnerable. To my surprise, the participant laughed lightheartedly at my remark. At the beginning of the session, the person was very tense as he described his journey to the Far East in search of answers to his relentless emotional and spiritual dilemmas. Understandably, he did not find what he was looking for. Reflecting on this incident three facts became evident. First, the magnitude of transformation in his state of mind from the beginning to the end of the session. second, it definitely takes a great deal of courage to be vulnerable. Lastly, vulnerability is key in exploring and evoking awareness.
Which dimension of courageous followership resonates most with your personal values?
References:
Chaleff, I. (2003). The Courageous Follower: Standing to and for our Leaders (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
