Leader Courage

I entered the world of leadership inspired to make a difference. When I decided to do my doctorate in leadership and change it was to learn how to lead, like I hoped I had been led. I wanted to find ways to effect change in a healthcare system where aliention and devlaution runs rampant. It seemed that leaders with decision-making power operated from disembodied and non-relational orientation, framed as best practices yet privileged as “objective” and unbiased. The place where I worked was was devoid of care and connection. Although there was some polite, professional banter among colleagues, disconnection reigned. The lack of psychological safety was palpable.

The resulting disquiet within propelled me to seek a different way. How could I become a part of the solution? During my doctoral journey I also entered a formal leadership position and soon discovered that leading is not for the faint of heart; nor is it for the unexamined mind. I learned that leadership requires consciousness where awareness of one’s internal landscape, as well as relational realms within which leadership practice occurs, is required.

When I did my research with leaders who integrated Interpersonal Neurobiology principles into their practice, I discovered many expressed an emergent, yet often unspoken quality that was part of their internal leadership experience: Courage. Courage was found as these leaders leaned into their vulnerability and took action in the face of risk. These risks were often external (relational, positional, reputational) as well as internal (challenging old beliefs, fears, comfort zones, knowledge).

I found courage in stories of action where these leaders listened deeply to the stirrings within their body-mind. I heard courage when they shared how they could not turn away from situations and practices that caused harm to others. Courage was present when they refused to dampen their vision and when they did not ignore internal stirrings directing them to look beyond the status quo and to do something different. These leaders leaned in to hard realities and in doing so they were compelled to act. Their leadership was a calling and their actions a response to deep listening across multiply intersecting domains. They spoke out and took risks in existing systems and/or created new programs and organizations that honored what relational neuroscience has uncovered about health and well-being. Their courage was embodied and it was relational – evolving in dynamic elements unfolding in place, space, and across time.

Their courageous stories were not always victorious; but, their stories were real. They spoke of frustration and loss, uncertainty and confusion. Sometimes their stories conveyed isolation and fear when they were without support and shared vision. However, there was often an integral, quiet knowing and a steady persistance that propelled them forward. These leaders changed the world within and around them, some in unexpected ways, and they were changed in the process of doing so. Their development as leaders was continuous, alive, and dynamic. I have listened deeply to their stories, taking in their voices that now inspire and support me as I strive to embody and enact the courage of a leader. I now bring the energy and wisdom of these leaders to other leaders who seek development that runs both deep and wide.