If you are someone in my age group or someone that raised someone in my age group, you likely remember the show “Courage the Cowardly Dog.” This was a strange show on Cartoon Network about a little purple dog that lived with an elderly couple in the middle of nowhere. The dog would frequently encounter aliens, ghosts, monsters, and bad guys. His owners had a great unawareness to the majority of these run-ins, so Courage took on the responsibility of dealing with these unwanted guests. At the shows start, we see Courage nervous, shaking, and terrified, but as the show progresses Courage is repeatedly put into situations in which he must be courageous rather than cowardly, and in turn he eventually evolves into a more courageous character.
When talking about the idea of courage, I believe that we have a lot to learn from that little purple dog. Many people think that you are born with courage. That might be true to some extent, but we all come into this world crying. Nobody is born a super confident and courageous person; these traits must be developed. In the instance of Courage the Cowardly Dog, he learns to be courageous by constantly having to step up and face his fears. I’m not saying that we should all be fighting ghosts and monsters to build up our courage, but I do believe in pushing yourself and doing things that scare you.
Courageous leaders drive change in their organizations. They seek, receive, and integrate feedback. They communicate directly. They make decisions that have an element of risk. They hold people accountable. Courage is a very desirable trait in a leader. Some leaders will come by courage naturally, but many must develop courage over time. For the latter, those people need to be conscientiously developing this trait. If you are not pushing yourself and doing things that scare you and getting outside of your comfort zone, you will not become a courageous person.
What have you done lately to build your courage? When is the last time you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone? We are coming up on a time of the year where you have more time off. I encourage you to use a portion of this time to try something new. This may be an activity, or a type of food, or even traveling somewhere that you have never been. This action is beneficial for many areas of your personality including curiosity and competence. It will also be a step towards becoming a more courageous leader and person. Be courageous; go do something that scares you today.
- Bria