I recently saw the below poster (blue and yellow) on the bathroom wall, and it got me thinking about courage and what it means to be courageous in the workplace.
Courage can be a scary thing - at the best of times. It can be even more intimidating at work. The phrase, 'mustering up the courage to..." speaks to the idea that having courage is not always easy.
Why is that? Well, there are many reasons, but one that sticks out is that we often doubt ourselves. We often let fear of what MIGHT happen get in the way of us saying or doing things we want to or know we should.
And, our fear of having courage can have a negative impact on how we contribute at work.
When we are afraid of being courageous - we shut down. We are fearful of being wrong, stepping on someone’s toes or being shamed for our response.
Now, while those are real concerns, if you work in an organization where you feel psychologically safe we encourage you to flex your courageousness more often. Instead of saying to yourself, “What if I say something everyone hates?”, instead, reframe your thinking and try “What if my idea creates positive change?”
Courage can come in many different forms. This week I challenge you to be courageous at work. Maybe it’s speaking up in a meeting you usually stay quiet in. Perhaps it is pitching a new creative project to your manager? Or maybe it is inviting your team to have a discussion about a failed project.
Whatever it may be, take a step to choose courage this week! We’re cheering you on.