Courses

Successful leadership requires making bold, risky, and sometimes unpopular decisions. In a word, it requires courage. But courage is much more than charging into the unknown with uncertain outcomes. While everyone has the capacity for courage, not every aspiring leader understands how to harness courage to enhance effectiveness. Courageous leadership requires a deep understanding of the unique relationship between courage and fear as well as the connection between leaders and those they lead.

This course will start with an assessment of self, examining students’ own concept of courage and how it influences leadership and communication styles, and how fear impedes productive collaboration. Students will also evaluate major modern leadership strategies and discover how the proper balance of courage and fear fosters effective communication that inspires and engages others. With courage as a leadership tool, students will be able to engender compassion for themselves and empathy for others. Research has shown that highly compassionate leaders inspire loyalty and commitment, thus creating an environment that breeds productivity and health. Through experiential practices, reflection, and group discussion, students will gain greater awareness about their authentic self and the courage to apply the most appropriate leadership style in any given situation.