Choosing Courage

We often place brave leaders on a pedestal. Yet, courage is not innate. It is a capacity that we are all capable of and that we can work on.

In this book, Jim Detert provides keys to summon courage and dare try. In the business world, many situations require some measure of courage: betting on a risky project, taking an unexplored path, providing negative feedback, refusing an inopportune request, opposing the majority opinion, etc. These situations are not simple, but they are not insurmountable either—provided we de-dramatize the stakes and become better aware of our biases, but also of our personal resources. Jim Detert invites us to create the conditions for courage: a clear vision of our objectives, an effective control of our emotions to avoid losing our footing, a supportive entourage, etc. He then suggests we “muscle up” our courage: taking the habit of regularly stepping out of our comfort zone will help us to progressively dominate our apprehensions.

A pleasant and useful read for those who seek concrete action paths to develop their courage.