This Month: Stories that Teach Us Courage
By emilie boggis.
Born in the heart of Generation X, I absorbed the definition of courage through images of the Civil Rights movement. Everyday folks marching against the brutality of barking dogs, police with weapons, and burning crosses; everyday folks marching for their humanity, one another’s freedom, and the promises of a country. The people in these images seemed to simply possess courage.
How do you possess courage? A simple internet search will produce all sorts of definitions of and steps to attain courage. From its roots in the Latin “coeur” (meaning “heart”) Brené Brown’s reframing away from heroics, reminding us that the word originally meant “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart”; from the psychological standpoint to Forbes teaching of “unflinching resolve” in leadership. [See also synonyms like bravery and valor.] Nevertheless, these definitions and even instructions fall flat when facing the large (and somewhat terrifying) leap from uncertainty to unflinching resolve. How do we get from here to there?
When interviewed on the podcast Hidden Brain, philosopher Laurie Paul shared her personal experience of throwing the book What To Expect When You're Expecting against the wall when she was pregnant with her first child. The book may have explained the changes happening within her body, but it didn’t help her grasp the necessary transformation required to become the type of parent she wanted to be. Similarly, leaders of all stripes become challenged to our core as we seek to comprehend what is truly required to become courageous.
What seems to be missing are the stories. It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I heard the stories behind those black-and-white Civil Rights images. Those brave folks, I learned, were actually afraid. Most were tired. Others were angry and at their wit’s end. How did the organizers transform all those different emotions into courage before the march? That’s when I heard the stories of gathering in the local church to sing. Not an audience listening to one person singing but a congregation of people each called to find their own voice and lift it up into the collective. Singing together “Which Side Are You On?” followed by “How I Got Over” and “We Shall Not Be Moved” stirred within their hearts the spirit of courage. Lyrics and melody became the ongoing mantra of bravery, helping them attain and re-attain courage, even in the most dispiriting moments of the march or imprisonment. Even Dr. King, I later learned, had fearful nights when his courage almost faltered. The stories of him sharing his doubts and fears in his prayers to God and in calls to his friends help a new generation of leaders lean into becoming courageous.
The tumult of the 2020s is often compared to the turbulence of the 1960s. The tectonic plates of humanity are again shifting, and so too is the ground beneath our feet. People of faith are asking us at LeaderWise: What does courageous leadership look like in times such as these? Throughout the month of April, LeaderWise will be reflecting upon this question. While we will definitely share definitions and concepts, as well as the research behind them, we will also center the stories of everyday folks. For the stories behind the images of courage teach us the way.
If you have a story of courageous leadership, we’d love to hear it. Please click here to email it to us.
