Reflections

Our Blog

Managerial Courage is Too Important to Be Left to Chance

by | Jun 22, 2018 | change management, leadership, management, managerial courage

We talk a lot about leadership courage but managerial courage is just as important to successful organizations.  So, what is managerial courage and how does it differ from leadership courage?

While leadership courage involves steering an organization towards its purpose, managerial courage involves managing other people with the courage this task demands.

The elements of managerial courage are:

  • To manage others with respect, every day.
  • To strive for a diverse and inclusive culture in the myriad decisions made, every day.
  • To listen deeply to the concerns, views, and aspirations of employees, every day.
  • To identify the unique strengths of each individual employee and cultivate them, while shoring up areas of weakness, every day.
  • To manage performance consistently with both firmness and empathy with the larger organizational goals and strategy in mind, every day.
  • To explain the context for decisions with clarity and transparency, and handle questions, even difficult ones, without fear or evasion.
  • To embrace and develop, rather than complain about, the next generations, seeking to guide them in their development and contribution.

Courageous managers don’t shy away from difficult conversations.  In fact, they anticipate and prepare for them, and they handle them with aplomb.  This allows them to hold employees accountable.

The courageous manager is absolutely critical for organizational success and high performance. They are the unsung heroes of organizational life.  They deserve to be celebrated.

We at OLA salute you for you are rare indeed.

If you’re interested in instilling a courageous manager mindset in your organization, please reach out to OLA.

Archives