Courage as a Skill

Take a stand—without committing career suicide

The Idea in Brief

A division vice president blows the whistle on corruption at his company's highest levels. A manager refuses to work on her boss's pet project because she fears it'll discredit the company. A CEO urges his board to invest in environmentally sustainable technology—despite pushback from powerful, hostile directors.

How to demonstrate courage like these leaders—without committing career suicide? Fortunately, you don't have to be born courageous: you can learn to take intelligent gambles by making the courage calculation—a disciplined method for boosting the likelihood of a successful outcome.

To make the courage calculation, Reardon recommends considering six questions: "What are my goals?" "How important are they?" "Will powerful people support me if I make a bold move?" "What are the trade-offs?" "Is now the right time to act?" and "Have I developed sufficient contingency plans?"

By deliberating these questions, you empower yourself to make gutsy moves that serve your organization and your career.

The Idea in Practice

To make the courage calculation, answer these questions:

What Are My Goals?

Consider whether your organizational and personal goals are attainable.

Someone has maligned your talented colleague to clear his own path to promotion. Your colleague's manager is about to fire him based on faulty information—and tends to kill the messenger when receiving bad news. Should you try to save your colleague by explaining the situation to his manager? Yes: your organizational goal (retaining a valued performer) and personal goal (feeling you've contributed to the greater good) are reasonably achievable.

How Important Are My Goals?

Avoid squandering political capital on low-priority issues. But if important values are at stake, you may have to act.

A medical doctor who worked for pharmaceutical company Pfizer publicly advocated legislation allowing the import of lower-priced medicines—a practice the U.S. drug industry opposes. The move cost him his job, but his convictions were too strong to ignore.

Do I Have a Supportive Power Network?

To build a power base from which to make risky moves, cultivate relationships with influential people around and above you.

What Are the Trade-Offs?

Gauging your bold move's risks and benefits can help you decide whether to proceed.
A U.S. army general decided to report a fellow officer who had plagiarized a research paper at an army school. After weighing the negatives (discomfort for "snitching") against the positives (allegiance to the Army's standards for future leaders), she determined her loyalty to Army standards was paramount.

Is Now the Right Time to Act?
Real emergencies are rare in business, so take time to marshal support, information, or evidence to improve your odds of success. To determine whether the time is right to act, ask questions such as:

• What if I waited a week?
• Do I have the credibility to make this work now?
• Should I remove political obstacles first?

Do I Have Sufficient Contingency Plans?

Planning for worst-case scenarios can free you to take risky actions you see as crucial.

A stock trader contemplating exposing the vicious competitiveness in her group knew that her candor might motivate colleagues to get her fired. Her contingency plan—get another job—liberated her to speak up. Her candor impressed a senior executive, and her colleagues didn't hold her honesty against her.
- Harvard Business Online November 13, 2007