Category: Courage

Courage, a virtue as old as humanity itself, can ignite change, inspire greatness, and propel individuals and societies toward progress. It is the driving force that pushes us beyond our comfort zones, empowers us to stand up for what is right, and emboldens us to challenge the status quo. In a world that often demands conformity and complacency, the presence of courage becomes all the more essential.

This essay explores the multifaceted nature of courage, examining its impact on both personal and societal levels. From personal acts of bravery that require individuals to face their fears head-on and champion their own well-being to moral courage that empowers individuals to take a principled stance against injustice, and social courage that encourages the acceptance of diversity and the challenge of societal norms, courage plays a pivotal role in shaping our lives and the world we inhabit. 

Personal Courage

Personal courage is a transformative quality that empowers individuals to confront their fears and take risks. It encompasses the willingness to step outside one’s comfort zone, face uncertainty, and embrace challenges head-on. This form of courage manifests in various ways, such as overcoming the fear of failure, rejection, or the unknown. By pushing through these fears, individuals experience personal growth and development as they expand their boundaries, gain new skills, and build confidence in their abilities. The benefits of facing fears extend beyond individual growth, as it fosters resilience and the ability to persevere in the face of setbacks. By embracing personal courage, individuals open themselves to a world of personal and professional opportunities.

Standing up for oneself and others is another aspect of personal courage. It involves advocating for one’s rights, asserting boundaries, and addressing injustice. This form of courage requires individuals to confront uncomfortable situations, challenge powerful systems, and defy societal norms. Whether it is confronting bullying, speaking up against discrimination, or asserting personal boundaries, standing up for oneself and others cultivates empowerment and self-worth. Moreover, the act of standing up against injustice inspires change and creates a ripple effect that can lead to societal transformation. It fosters a sense of solidarity, strengthens relationships, and builds communities founded on trust and respect. Personal courage, in all its manifestations, is vital for individual well-being and plays a pivotal role in shaping a more just, compassionate, and inclusive society.

Moral Courage

Moral courage is a steadfast commitment to doing what is right, regardless of opposition or personal risk. It is a form of courage that arises in the face of moral dilemmas and ethical challenges. When individuals are confronted with situations where their values and principles are tested, moral courage compels them to act in accordance with their beliefs, even when it is easier to remain silent or go along with the status quo.

Examples of moral dilemmas requiring courage can range from speaking out against workplace misconduct, standing up against discrimination, or challenging unjust policies and practices. These situations often involve going against the grain, risking personal reputation, and potentially facing backlash or consequences. However, individuals with moral courage are willing to bear these burdens because they understand the importance of staying true to their convictions.

Ethical principles serve as a guiding compass for moral courage. Individuals navigate the complexities of moral decision-making by using principles such as honesty, fairness, justice, and compassion. They recognize that doing what is right may not always align with popular opinion or societal norms, but they are committed to creating a more equitable and ethical world.

The impact of moral courage extends beyond individual actions. When individuals speak out against injustice, they give voice to the voiceless and shed light on systemic issues. Their actions prompt critical conversations, encourage others to question the status quo, and mobilize collective efforts toward positive change. In doing so, moral courage becomes a transformative force that challenges the foundations of inequality and oppression.

Social Courage

Social courage is the audacity to challenge societal norms, embrace diversity, and foster inclusivity. It is the willingness to step outside the confines of conventional thinking and advocate for a more equitable and compassionate society. Social courage manifests in various ways, from engaging in uncomfortable conversations about sensitive topics to actively promoting understanding and acceptance of diverse perspectives and identities.

Embracing diversity and inclusivity requires social courage. It means confronting biases and prejudices within ourselves and society and actively working towards dismantling barriers that marginalize individuals based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, or other characteristics. By challenging ingrained stereotypes and embracing the richness of human differences, social courage paves the way for creating inclusive communities where everyone feels valued and respected.

Social courage is exemplified in situations where individuals challenge societal norms that perpetuate inequality and injustice. By questioning deeply ingrained beliefs and practices, individuals become agents of change. They challenge the status quo, advocate for fairness, and strive to build a society that is not bound by tradition but rather guided by principles of equity, justice, and compassion.

Examples of social courage can be seen in individuals who fight for LGBTQ+ rights, champion environmental sustainability, or advocate for economic and educational equality. These individuals have the audacity to challenge prevailing attitudes, policies, and practices that perpetuate discrimination, inequality, and environmental degradation.

The outcomes of social courage are profound. By embracing diversity and inclusivity, we create environments where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive, contribute their unique perspectives, and participate fully in society. Social courage facilitates the creation of safe spaces for marginalized groups, amplifying their voices and providing platforms for their stories to be heard. Furthermore, challenging societal norms can inspire societal transformation, sparking movements that reshape social structures and lead to lasting change.

Conclusion

Courage, in its various forms, holds immense power to shape both personal lives and society as a whole. Personal courage enables individuals to overcome fears, take risks, and stand up for themselves and others. Moral courage emboldens individuals to do what is right, even in the face of opposition. Social courage fosters inclusivity, challenges societal norms, and embraces diversity. Cultivating courage in our lives and society is essential for personal growth, justice, and progress. By unleashing the power of courage, we pave the way for a brighter future where authenticity, compassion, and equality flourish. 

Perseverance can be much of things, think perseverance can be courage. Perseverance takes a lot of courage. Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one and perseverance is persistence in doing something despite difficulty. The difficulty. The two definitions are very similar and there’s much of ways someone can have perseverance that shows courage. For example of perseverance working out for two hours each day to lose weight.

I have an example, that you can relate to is high school musical was a movie that shows a lot of perseverance. Troy Bolton the star athlete at a small town high school, falls for a nerdy beauty Gabriella Montez. So troy and Gabriella audition for the upcoming school musical. Meanwhile, the jealous Shappay Evans conspires to squelch their chances. The two must struggle to make the audition while also meeting their existing obligations to the basketball team and the academic decathlon. Both of them have the perseverance to keep going and to do the musical.

One other thing that may help, the true story of how Ray Krao a struggling salesman from Illinois met Mac and Dick McDonald who were running a burger operation in 1950s in southern California . With a speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Kroc soon maneuvers himself into a position to be able to pull the company from brothers and create a multi-billion dollar empire. Ray had perseverance to do that and everything i said everyone had the courage to do what they did. They could have stopped a long time ago but they keep going to be where they are. I never seen perseverance without courage because everyone that perseverance have that courage.

Something that shows me a lot of perseverance is very close to me is my family that is something that gives me a lot of happiness and one of them is my uncle that is George Foreman a American former professional boxer who competed in 1969 and 1997 , his a two time world champion and an Olympic gold medalist. Outside of boxing , he is also an author an entrepreneur. With his troubled childhood, he took up amateur boxing and won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the summer Olympics. Having turned professional the next year, he won the world heavyweight title with a second round knockout of than,undefeated joe frazier in 1973 two successful title defenses were made before Foreman’s first professional loss to Muhammad Ali in the rumble in the jugle in 1974. Unable to secure another title opportunity ,Foreman retired after a loss to jimmy young in 1977 ten years later had a comeback and became the oldest world heavyweight champion in history. With a total of 81 fights and 5 losses ,wins by KO 68 and 78 wins . To only have 5 losses in 81 fights you can see all of the perseverance he had and the courage to come back after all that time for loosen you have to have a lot. I think that perseverance is the same thing and it shows in all the stores i said all of them show how they perseverance to move forward to be in the spot they are in. With having the courage they have so that is why,I think perseverance is like the same thing as courage.

In order to determine one’s courage, they first need to explore the many definitions of what it means to be courageous. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird teaches people that courage does not mean that they live without fear, rather it’s about showing bravery to stand up to it. She shows this through the characters; Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Scout Finch.

To start, in this novel a significant representation of courage is seen within Atticus. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus must face a court case that will have a major personal effect on himself and his family. He summons the courage to realize that there needs to be justice and that it is his duty to accomplish this. Mrs. Maudie later supports his actions when she tells the children “ There are some men in this world who are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them” ( Lee 288 ). Atticus demonstrates that he has the courage to overcome the fear of others’ dislikes despite the consequences of doing so. At the beginning of the novel, it is evident that Scout and Jem see their father as an old, talentless man. One day, there is a situation of stray dog roaming the streets with the name of Tim Johnson. Once Heck-Tate is called he decides to turn the job of killing the stray over to Atticus, as he knows that he used to be called “One-Shot Finch”. Jem and Scout begin to wonder why their dad had never told them about this hidden talent. Atticus explains that “courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It’s knowing you’re licked before you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 112). Atticus believes that courage is the ability to act on what you believe in despite your fears, and by telling his children this he hopes that their fears will never get in the way of their judgment. It is made very clear that Atticus only wants the best for his children. In order for them to be their best selves, they first must own up to their mistakes. This is why when Atticus believed Jem was the cause of Bob Ewell’s death, he told Heck that Jem must face his punishment. If Atticus were to stand by and give him a free pass it would be going against everything he’s taught. As he said, “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat”(Lee 76). He would not be the father he is if he did not teach them right from wrong. Atticus is seen as a leader in the novel, as everyone trusts him and his opinions. He shows not only courage but pride in every decision he makes which shapes him into the character that is portrayed.

Additionally, courage is also demonstrated through Boo Radley. In To Kill a Mockingbird readers do not see or hear much about him. All that is known is what people hear from the rumors that are spread around Maycomb. Although there are not many words written directly about him, Harper Lee manages to develop a character for Boo through hidden details. He proves that some of the rumors were wrong during the house fire. This is shown when Atticus says “we’d better keep the blanket to ourselves. Someday maybe Scout can thank him for covering her up”(Lee 96). This is the first scene that Boo is a part of physically, yet it still manages to be in mysterious way. For many years he has hidden in his house away from reality. Eventually, Boo learns to face his fears rather than hide from them when he leaves his house. As said by Jem “ I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside”.(Lee 304 ) No one in the town truly understands Boo for who he is and why he does what he does. It takes great courage for Boo to be able to leave the one place he knew he was safe. This is where readers begin to see him change and develop more. A huge part of Lee’s novel is when Boo saves the children from Bob Ewell. This is surprising to people because he is not seen as a selfless person. Just as Scout said, “ Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of Goodluck pennies, and our lives”.(Lee 278) Without the help of Boo Radley, the children could have lost their lives In this quote Scout explains that Boo is not your usual character, but still plays a significant role in To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo is seen throughout the details and fine lines. This is why people should never judge a book by its cover.

In addition, early in the novel, Scout demonstrates the courage she embodies. On her first day of school, Scout acts as a leader for the whole class. She steps up and informs Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham’s situation. Scout says to her “You’re shaming him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stovewood”. (Lee 28) When Scout said this she knew it could cause more conflict between her and her teacher but she took the risk and did it anyways. Scout is different than most other girls her age. She has grown up without a mother figure to look up to, which has led her to have to rely on her brother’s and father’s knowledge. This is not a bad thing but it has caused Scout to grow up as more of a tomboy. Her Aunt Alexandra was raised to be a proper, mature young lady and she feels as though Scout should be taught to be more like a lady. For instance “ Scout, you’ll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you? I said not particularly”. (Lee 105 ) Despite what others think of her, Scout shows that she’s fine the way she is and that her opinion is above all else. Everyone is different in their own, unique way. If someone knows this best, it is Scout. Lee shows that Scout does not see the world in sectors but rather as a whole. She later defends Boo when she says “ well, it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird”. (Lee 280) Killing a mockingbird is earlier explained to be a sin as they do not deserve to be mistreated. Scout metaphorically applies her father’s lesson by defining Boo Radley as a symbol of a mockingbird. Seeing as he is a shy, vulnerable person who does nothing to deserve hatred. This takes the utmost courage from Scout as she really is the first person to stand up for Boo, who is someone who is not liked or appreciated. Not only does Scout teach us the importance of always voicing our opinion, but she also teaches us acceptance of our own and others’ differences.

As a result of all of the examples of courage, there is not a single situation when courage did not commence from a need within the character. Courage is the inner drive to succeed and do what is right, no matter the humiliation or consequences that you face due to your decision. Atticus, Boo, and Scout understood the risks that could occur but continued with their actions because they knew deep down it was what needed to be done. They did not all enter their problems expecting to win but they knew that by doing so they would show no regret for the courage they demonstrated as it was for the sake of good intentions.

Work Cited

1. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. Script City, 1964

Is courage about living fearlessly or living wholeheartedly? When exploring the word courage, you’ll find that it has evolved from its original meaning and has developed into a few different forms. There is physical courage, emotional courage, and moral courage. For many, the life of Sir Ranulph Fiennes would exemplify the word courage. The courage of this man, I would label as physical courage. However, researcher, Brene Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, would tell you that courage is linked to vulnerability and that vulnerability is the key to transforming the way we live, love, parent, and lead. This type of courage is emotional courage. And lastly, throughout history, there have been fierce leaders who have fought for the rights of those who are oppressed. This type of courage refers to moral courage.

The word courage is derived from the Latin root cor, meaning heart. After doing a tremendous amount of research, Brene Brown said in her famous TED talk that the original definition of courage is “to tell the story of who you are with all your heart” (TEDTalks: Brene Brown–The Power of Vulnerability.” TED, 2010.). This definition is very different from the one in the Merriam Webster dictionary which is “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty” (“Courage.” Merriam-Webster).

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary definition is synonymous with the life of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who is considered to be the world’s bravest man. He is known for serving in the British army where he specialized in demolitions. Since he didn’t like the British army, he set up Oman’s national army and became a hero conducting many risky but successful missions. The sultanate decorated him for his exceptional bravery. After his military career, Fiennes became an explorer. He is the only person to circumnavigate the North Pole and the South Pole. In 1993, he became the first man to walk on all of Antarctica; in only ninety-three days! Later he tried to walk the North Pole by himself, but he got frostbite on some of his fingers. To remedy the situation, he chose to cut his fingers off with a hacksaw so he didn’t have to pay a high-cost medical bill. After suffering a severe heart attack and getting double bypass surgery, he ran 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days. He had done this for the British Heart Foundation. At 65, he was able to scale Mount Everest after two unsuccessful attempts and when he was 71, he ran a 156-kilometer ultramarathon through the Sahara desert. Fiennes has been rightfully named the “World’s Greatest Living Explorer” in the Guinness Book of World Records. When asked what he would do if he was younger, he said he would explore the vast oceans and outer space. Certainly, Sir Ranulph Fiennes had tremendous physical courage.

Although Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ accomplishments are highly commendable, they are not what Brene Brown tells us courage is about in her book Daring Greatly. (Brown Brene ́. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Avery, 2015.) In Brene’s research, most people identify vulnerability as a weakness, the opposite of Ranulph Fiennes’ actions. Brown states that vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feelings and that to feel is to be vulnerable. She says that our rejection of vulnerability stems from associating it with dark emotions like fear, shame, grief, sadness, and disappointment; ones that we don’t want to discuss. However, these emotions impact the way we live, love, work, and lead. Brown explains that vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity and that it’s the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want lives with greater purpose and fulfillment, vulnerability is the way.

Brown defines vulnerability as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. An example of how this works in our lives is love. Love is uncertain and we don’t know if a person will love us back. However, if we don’t allow ourselves to be vulnerable which is to have courage. Then we will miss out on the beauty of experiencing love. Another example of being vulnerable is putting your artwork, writing, photography, or ideas out there. There is no assurance that these efforts will be accepted or appreciated. It’s a risk, but if we aren’t vulnerable, we miss out on what could have been. To be vulnerable and to take risks in this way is emotional courage.

Moral courage has played a major role throughout history and its impact has been life-changing regarding personal freedoms. A couple of examples are women getting the right to vote and Martin Luther King fighting for equality amongst races. In 1920 several men and women fought for women’s rights by marching in parades and creating petitions. Susan B. Anthony, one of the most well-known women’s rights activists, was courageous for speaking out and advocating for women so they could get the rights that they deserve. In 1963, Martin Luther King led the march on Washington so that he and many others could fight for equal rights and freedom. I consider every person who participated would be considered courageous because they risked getting shut down and knew they could be taken to jail or even killed just for asserting themselves. Instead, they were driven by moral courage having the determination to stand up for what they believed in. Unfortunately, many people involved in the movement did suffer consequences including Martin Luther King who was shot and killed in Tennessee. Today, women have the right to vote and people of all races can share public facilities, transportation, and restaurants all because of the people who fought against segregation.

In my opinion, all forms of courage are important. They create an atmosphere of inspiration for people who might not take a risk if they didn’t have these role models. People such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes inspire others to physical excellence and achievement. Brene Brown inspires people to be vulnerable and create more fulfilling lives and people like Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King inspire people to challenge the status quo.

Work Cited

1. Brown Brené. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Avery, 2015.
2. “Courage.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courage.
3. Devnath, Vinay. “14 Incredible Facts About Sir Ranulph Fiennes That Make Him The Most Badass Human Ever.” Storypick, 18 Apr. 2017, www.storypick.com/ranulph-fiennes/.
4. “TEDTalks: Brene Brown–The Power of Vulnerability.” TED, 2010.
5. YourDictionary. “Examples of Courage.” YourDictionary, 5 May 2017, https://www.storypick.com/ranulph-fiennes/

In a constantly changing world, the word ‘courage’ is always in conversation. I personally, don’t have courage in the areas I wish I had, whereas others do. I see others succeeding because of their big brave decisions and yet what good change is happening in the world? None! The human condition is used to fear and doubt, and the definition of courage has become twisted. Issues such as Global warming have become worse because people are afraid of society’s backlash.

Courage now should be described as ‘standing for your beliefs DESPITE the consequences of society’ in order for a better, peaceful world.

It’s a personal journey about what’s right and wrong for humanity despite the world not agreeing.

When it comes to social change regarding difficult issues such as religion and impending acts of government, people keep to themselves, afraid of backlash. We may parade around calling ourselves good people because we’re promoted ‘anti-bullying’ and we say ‘no to racism’. But when it comes to actually getting involved and making a difference in where we stand, we’re awfully quiet about it. You see the impact of the world around us and don’t speak up unless it impacts YOU.

Elements and examples shown within the two texts; ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘The Help’, display the act of courage within society by going against the world’s opinions. This includes the contexts of human rights and racism in the 1930s and ’60s. Though both are based in a time of heavy racism, the key themes of courage should definitely be carried out in today’s world.

The Help is a movie based on the book of the same name, written by Kathryn Stockett. It’s a story about the black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. It’s about their relationships with their white employers and each other’s, and how one woman- Eugenia Phelan, (known as Skeeter) – helps the maids tell their stories.

After making a courageous movement against racism, society spoke out and Skeeter lost her boyfriend- this was important because society at that time seemed to be very focused on women having husbands and starting families purely for the sake of it- not so much out of love. See any connections? It‘s really unfair when you receive consequences despite doing something right. It shows our personal journey to withstand these consequences and to do what is morally correct, not societally correct.

The two actresses who played ‘Aibeleen’ and ‘Minny’ comment on this, talking about what they themselves have learned from playing these characters;

“Aibileen has a whole lot more courage than I do,’ said Davis. ‘I learned about real courage — to live on after the loss of a child, to start her life anew … the ability, even in her grief, to love so unconditionally.’

“People need to look beyond the fact that this takes place in the civil rights era,’ Spencer said. ‘It is about finding the courage to make a change in your life.’

Growing up, our society teaches us that those who have courage are willing to fight, and always put on a brave face.

In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, author Harper Lee portrays courage as the continuation of fighting for your beliefs despite the knowledge that you may lose. Not everyone agrees with what you have to say! Lee Harper gives us the perfect example of courage through the characters’ actions.

We aren’t being courageous for ourselves, it’s speaking up for those who don’t have a voice. Atticus goes against society by defending Tom Robinson. who is a black man. Doesn’t seem like a big deal does it?

Well, the whole court system was biased; the judge being white as well as the jury. In the end (spoilers!), Tom Robinson dies because of the misjudgment of a white police officer. However, even though Atticus lost this court case, it was his ideals that spread throughout the community. Atticus goes to court to defend Tom Robinson even though he knows that the entire town (including his own family) would judge him harshly for it. It was the fact that he gave a black man a voice in a white society, and he was heard. You may not be a lawyer, or you might be! Either way, you can still make a change in the community, it just starts with a voice. And it is your job to be that voice.

Courage takes a lot of courage (funny that!). But it’s that courage to speak out about issues that make the whole difference. It doesn’t have to be a huge action like Atticus or writing a book like Skeeter. Though Scout is still only in the early stages of primary school, she is a huge example of courage. We see in Chapter 31 (page 282), she throws away all of the things she has been told about Boo Radley her entire life and walks him to his front porch. She walks past several houses in her town, her arm visibly linked with his to make a statement. It isn’t considered ‘in-your-face’ but it’s enough to show true courage.

She shows us that you can have true courage no matter age, or race- no excuses! Kindness towards others and doing what is right despite what everyone else is telling you shows the real strength that you have, and we should teach everyone to be like this.

It shows that even though, despite those around you, you can still take the initiative to be courageous. Aibileen struggled with how much courage she would need to do what Skeeter had asked her to do. She knew from her experience, she would need to do what she had to, despite backlash from society. Though it was a different time, society’s prejudice is still just as relevant. The decade of the 1906’s may be in the past, but the cause is not- we still need courage.

The film ‘to kill a mockingbird’ by Robert Mulligan and Reginal Rose’s ‘twelve angry men’ are two texts that shows similarities and differences of a corrupted court and the consequences of an efficient court system and to overcome this barrier to justice, strong and courageous individuals are needed, in fact they are very crucial to uphold the law without prejudice. Both texts explore the bigoted views of the community and society which lead to possible injustice therefore the strong and courageous figures such as Atticus Finch and Juror 8 confront different group of people however those who supports the legal discrimination and shows importance of fighting against prejudice and fighting for justice.

Prejudice based on racial discrimination causes injustice in society, shown by inequitable treatment of African American. In the ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, this treatment includes the separation of habitats of Black American from of those whites. The white Americans see African Americans unfit to live with them. Even the gathering for a case in the court, the racial division happens by putting the black Americans at the top level and the whites at the ground level of the court. Not only the physical distancing causes prejudice, they also unable them to take part in the legal process of a courtroom for instance as seen in the Robinson’s case, there was not even a single African American position holder even the jury seats were full of biased white American, which is why no one could relate to his situation, with preconceived ideas and two powerful white accusations where he ‘had to put his word against two white people’, the little hope of justice seems to perish. In the ‘Twelve Angry Men’, the jurors’ treatments towards the defendant are not fair and without discrimination. Although its not allowed to take the resentment and influenced ideas to the jury room however the room is filled with those statements, ideas, and opinions. The defendant boy who is on trial for homicide, his disadvantage of being from slum is targeted by the jurors to convict him of the crime. One of the prejudiced jurors, juror 10 desperately wants the conviction to happen and states ‘You’re not gonna’ tell me we’re supposed to believe this kid, knowing what he is.’. He presumes the boy guilty of crime based on his experience and holds tight to his superstitions, ‘I’ve lived among them all my life. You can’t believe a word they say. You know that. I mean, they’re born liars.’. Juror 10 is ready to believe that the boy kills his father based on another witness’ story who also lived in the slum, this shows the hypocrisy of juror 10, who already states that everyone of those slum inhabitants are liars and on the other hand, to send the boy to death roll he believes the words of the woman. At their core, both texts similarly explores the unfair treatment of the inferiors of the unfair hierarchy in the society, as both Robinson and the boy initially encounter the harsh reality of discrimination based on their situation and background which they had no choice to decide on. The characters are different only in one main respect that while Robinson confronts the discrimination because of his race, the boy clashes with social and economic prejudices. Thus, to overcome this barrier of getting the justice courageous characters are needed.

Both Rose and Mulligan suggest strong individuals such as Juror 8 and Atticus Finch that questioning and confronting the beliefs of the society courageously is somewhat the only way to uphold the law and set justice for those who are wronged. In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, Atticus finch responds with courage to ensure equal treatment for Robinson. As it is known in the society, and everyone firmly believes that Robinson is guilty of raping Mayella therefore, no one dares to speak up about it even if they think otherwise. Even Atticus has his doubts whether or not to take the case as he teaches his daughter about the society and morally right actions and behaviour ‘There’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man’, however, without consideration of precious life as the judge has warned, he does his job to the best of his abilities and stands against the whole prejudiced society. This shows the right movement and revolution only happens when someone takes upon themselves and take the responsibility, in this case Atticus takes himself responsible to convince the jury and society of his client innocence. Throughout the trial, Atticus cross-examines the witnesses and proves Tom’s innocence by illustrating that Bob Ewell was Mayella’s culprit. Initially, Atticus confirms that the majority of Mayella’s injuries were to the right side of her face and that Bob Ewell is left-handed, which suggests that he may have been responsible for his daughter’s injuries.

After cross-examining Mayella, Atticus with the use of questions prove that Mayella and her father are fabricating a story. Atticus then shows the jury that Tom is handicapped, and he cannot use the left hand at all. In Atticus’s closing statements, he proves Tom’s innocence by mentioning the lack of medical evidence, the Ewells’ conflicting testimonies, and Tom’s obvious handicap. Atticus makes a moving argument that explains Mayella’s motivation to blame Tom Robinson by explaining on the strict social system that forbids interaction and relationship with African American race. Atticus with all his moral beliefs and fulfilling his job eventually appeal to the judge, to convince them to take the right decision ‘Now gentlemen, in this country our courts are the great levellers, and in our courts all men are created equal’. In ‘Twelve Angry Men’, juror 8, who also is uncertain about the innocence of the boy however encourages the rest of the jurors to review the case, which could be because of the pressure of being the last one to vote and being the decision make of the group as he mentioned ‘There were eleven votes for guilty. It’s not so easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.’ There is no doubt that juror 8 is the courageous individual and because of his brave and bold action to stand against 11 aggressive and prejudiced jurors, possible superstitions can be broken however he votes not guilty not because he believes the accused is not guilty, but because he believes that the accused deserves the right to an impartial jury regardless of any personal feelings or judgments he might have about the individual, which is the best way to achieve justice. Juror 8 also understands the concept of innocent until proven guilty therefore choses to oppose the rest of 11 jurors. Juror 8 approaches the case with a fair idea that the appointed lawyer puts no effort to defend his client therefore he reviews the evidences, brought to the court to convict the boy. He proves with experiment that the limped neighbour who claims that he sees the boy escaping the crime scene, although the distance between from his location to the stairs takes more time then he alleges it takes him. One of the most important pieces of evidence in the murder trial in text, is the murder weapon. It was a knife, as Juror #4 states, ‘This wasn’t an ordinary knife. It had a very unusual carved handle and blade. The storekeeper said it was the only one of its kind he had ever had in stock.’ And ‘They identified the death weapon in court as that very same knife.’

However, juror 8 to prove the possible fabricated knife has brought another knife which has the same pattern, to show that a conviction cannot take place just for a weapon which almost everyone carries in the neighbourhood. Both texts are similar in terms of the strong individuals disbelief and their hesitation of taking the role of opposition and their approach to the unjust case with evidence rather letting the others depend on the stigmas around the inferior group of the society. On the other hand, while, Atticus had to confront and face the whole society to break the long and strong prejudice, juror 8 only had to convince and persuade 11 jurors to achieve the justice. Therefore, it is one of the factors that decides the consequences of what both individuals have worked on.

Courage defines and dictates one’s personal willingness to overcome fear apart from one’s lack of fear. Julia Alvarez’s novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, depicts the story of four sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and Maria Teresa, as they live under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Out of the four Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa become heavily involved in the rebellion against Trujillo and inevitably are assassinated. On the other hand, Dedé carries the legacy and tells the story of her three deceased sisters. Courage is the ability to do something that frightens and threatens one and the Mirabal sisters undertake contrasting roles apart from what is expected of them, that define their decisions to participate in the rebellion against Trujillo and their individual self-growth and identity, which is emblematic of their bravery.

In Dominican society, under Trujillo’s reign, women are often recognized as sex objects; however, the actions the Mirabals take question and threaten the authority of significant male figures, which is representative of their courage. In the novel, readers are driven by the perspective of these four sisters as they are met with significant male characters. When Minerva attends one of Trujillo’s parties, and he asks her to dance and becomes quite flirtatious. He aggressively pulls her into him and thrusts at her pelvis in “a vulgar way” at which she slaps his “astonished, made-up face” (Alvarez, 100). Trujillo is known to toy with women as objects and takes advantage of them, which is seen when he acts in a “vulgar” manner; however, Minerva spits on his ego by discrediting this authority he has built over women which is representative of this courage. Women and young girls allow Trujillo to take advantage of them, almost unconsciously, but Minerva undertakes a role women are either too scared or do not acknowledge: she does not let Trujillo walk all over her. Trujillo goes as far as obstructing Minerva from getting her law license in spite of her actions on the night of the dance. Although Trujillo’s actions are out of her hands, she does what is in her control, which is to not give him the satisfaction of objectifying and manipulating her.

In demeaning situations where the Mirabals are undeniably held to a subordinate standard they proceed and do what is not expected of them: they hold onto their dignity and independence which defines their courage. When Maria Teresa is taken to a prison called “La 40”, which is known for torture, the interrogators indignify her, making her strip naked and lie down on a table. They bring in a man, most likely Leandro, Maria Teresa’s lover, and use an electrical device to torture Maria Teresa, when Leandro finally agrees to talk, they allow Maria Teresa to leave. Maria Teresa recognizes the “shame” on the guards’ faces and denies “help” from them, she then dismisses herself out “on her own two feet” (256). The guards purposefully strip Maria Teresa, making her feel helpless; bringing in Leandro causes both lovers pain. Through this suffer Maria Teresa walks out “on her own two feet”, holding onto her independence and dignity, which in itself is courage. Maria Teresa’s action is also notably a question of authority to the guards, despite their efforts in offering help she remains sensible and sees and feels their “shame”. She does not let their pity undermine the undignifying torture they have just put her through. Though she is helpless in this situation on physical terms, she is courageous in her feat to hold onto to her sensibility in keeping her self worth and respect.

In the novel, the Mirabals encounter their struggles, with that they acknowledge and accept their lack of bravery; however, eventually, the Mirabals step out from what is perceived of them and take on courageous roles. Dedé is notably the “forgotten sister”, and she struggles in joining her sisters in the rebellion because she fears she will lose her marriage and family. However, when chooses to drop the act of what is expected of her, she presents a more courageous side. When Minerva and Dedé travel to Minerva’s property to recover her belongings they are halted by guards and requested to identify themselves. With “terror” on her face Dedé says, “My name is Minerva Mirabal” (277). Despite being filled with “terror” Dedé identifies herself as Minerva, threatening her safety for the sake of her sister, which in itself is an act of courage. Dedé’s actions are a personal feat, and she disassociates herself from her cowardice and steadily gains courage. This speaks on Alvarez’s choices as a writer on Dedé’s chapters. Dedé’s chapters are monotonous and at times when she considers joining the rebellion she shies away for the sake of her family and own personal morals; however, a turning point is reached for Dedé when she steps out of her comforts and assumes a courageous role outside of her cowardice.

In Alvarez’s novel, the Mirabals adopt roles contrary to the ones expected of them, which exhibits courage as it exudes their progress through the book as individuals and their presence in the rebellion against Trujillo. Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Dedé all present this commonality as they become courageous through the course of the novel. Minerva chooses to reject the presumed role of women and question the dominance of significant male characters, Maria Teresa dignifies herself despite being in demeaning circumstances, and Dedé overcomes her cowardice and proves herself to be stronger and less vulnerable. Courage for the Mirabals as it is seen parallels to all individuals alike: what is expected of you and how can you challenge that stigma?

Courage is one’s determination to face their fears and stay strong despite any obstacles standing in their way. In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, is about the Mirabal sisters’ fight for a free country against Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in the 1950’s. The Mirabal sisters’ courage is highlighted as Minerva faces the dictator and his regime, Patria is inspired to protect her family, and Dede faces her husband.

Minerva, who is viewed as the most courageous of the sisters, acted against anything she took as unjust or unfair no matter the consequences. Minerva was invited to the Discovery Day Dance, one of Trujillo’s parties, at which he asked her to dance. When he began to act inappropriately, Minerva could see her “hand in an endless slow motion rise- a mind all its own- and come down on the astonished, made-up face” (Alvarez 100). Minerva wasn’t afraid to slap Trujillo in the face, as she lived for the revolution and stopping his dictatorship. She valued fairness and justice, and didn’t believe that he followed either of those. She didn’t care that he was known to kill families who acted out against him or the fact that he held a lot of power. Later on, Minerva was put in jail for being part of the revolution, and during her time there, planned for everyone to wear a crucifix. She had her sister Patria send her the necklaces for this silent act of solidarity, and the prisoners wore them and sang hymns, until Trujillo decided that the priests were plotting against him. The prison guards collected the crucifixes from the prisoners, “but when they grabbed Minerva, she started kicking and swinging her arms. Santiclo’s cap flew across the room and Tiny was smacked in the face.” (238). Minerva did not care what the consequences of her actions were or what could happen to her because of this. She ended up in solitary for three weeks for not giving up her crucifix necklace and “kicking and swinging” at the guards. The idea of doing what she could do was more important than not doing anything at all, and the crucifixes were important to her because they were a silent movement from prison. The crucifix symbolizes her solidarity to the revolution which was so important to her. Minerva’s courage was not foolish, as she always wanted to do what was right and fair for everyone, and not just for herself. She did this to make a statement about how unfair it was for the people who were a part of the revolution to be imprisoned. Minerva was not scared of taking a risk in exchange for making a difference and this is evident throughout the novel and the story of her life.

Dede realized her own worth and how controlling her husband was, which takes a lot of bravery. Dede wanted to join her sisters in the revolution, however she knew her husband, Jaimito, wouldn’t allow it. She finally accepted the fact that her husband was the reason preventing her from taking many opportunities in her life. As she was still excited about the thought of the revolution, Dede would sneak out every night and listen to the revolutionaries speak on the radio, even though she knew her husband disapproved, “her excursions were what mattered now. They were her secret rebellion, her heart hungering, her little underground of one” (181). Dede informed herself on what was going on instead of staying clueless of what was happening in her country and what her sisters taking part in. She was subject to her husband’s rules, but still took time for herself to keep up and feel like she was doing something for herself, going on a “secret rebellion”, even if it didn’t mean putting herself in direct danger like her sisters were. Dede did not join the revolution herself, however, she chose to take care of her children instead of leaving them behind. Dede’s courage is apparent as she recognized how she was being oppressed by her husband, made decisions for herself, and thought about what she could do for others.

Patria gains courage throughout the novel and is determined to fight for her family and help free her country. After witnessing an invasion and the death of an innocent boy the same age as her daughter at a retreat with her church, Patria joined the Accion Clero-Cultural group with other church-goers. Their goal was to create an underground movement in which they would “spread the word of god” (164). Patria had almost become a nun earlier in her life and was a very religious and giving person, “But then again, here in that little room was the same Patria Mercedes, who wouldn’t have hurt a butterfly, shouting, ‘Amen to the revolution’” (163). The 14th of June prompted Patria to join the revolution after seeing firsthand what was really happening in her country. Seeing a young boy get killed made her worry about the safety of her own children and realize what could happen to them. She wasn’t scared to take action if it meant she could protect her children, Nelson and Noris, and the rest of her family. She wasn’t a violent person, as she would not have harmed “a butterfly”, and planned on spreading her faith and values in hopes of turning things around for the better. Patria’s encounter with violence in her home country motivated her to pursue the revolution and take risks for her family.

The Mirabal sisters were all examples of courageous women who fought for what they believed in. Each sister was brave in their own way and took their own risks for themselves, their families, and their home country. The courage that these four sisters had is what has made them such a memorable part of this time and a part of the revolution. Courage is about taking risks for not only yourself but also for others, an act of selflessness and bravery for the greater good.

Courage is when you are aware of something that is wrong and unfair you want to stick to the right thing no matter what happens. Courage is not about being fearless. Fear is a very natural response when we are in danger. But courage will show us a way out of that dangerous situation safely. Fear actually saves us from danger. If you don’t overcome your fear you will have to worry about the danger for the rest of your life. Even if it’s your very close friend or family when they did something wrong you are not supposed to be supporting them or trying to save them by lying instead just tell the truth. A small mistake when we let it happen might lead to fatal damage.

By telling the truth the person would learn from their mistakes. Courage will give us opportunities to think act and grow whereas fear makes our life become stagnant. There are many people who showed exceptional courage which changed the course of world history. Rosa Parks an African American will stand as the best example of a person who stood up for something unfair and fought till the end and made a very big difference after that. During the early 20th century when the Jim Crow laws were imposed racial segregation was legal and African Americans and poor whites were denied fair treatment in public facilities and even bus seating policies were in favor of rich whites. She was an ordinary woman who was leading her life by working hard and for long hours.

Then on Dec 1, 1955, she was arrested for rejecting to give up her seat to a white man. She was involved in the civil rights movement and she was also a member of the NAACP national association for the advancement of colored people as it happened for the second time she decided to stand up and fight. The very same driver blake humiliated her twice by rejecting her seat. then her determination to fight got even stronger. It takes a lot of courage for a woman to fight against a system that was designed to exploit that poor section of society. many believed that she is tired. Yes, she was tired but not physically but she was tired of giving in to a very unfair situation.

This incident was like a spark that created a wildfire. The courage that she has shown and the people who have heard and seen her actions are inspired and motivated many. Then the bus boycott was initiated by the local African American leaders as she got convicted for violating the rules and we all know that it is unfair. This movement which was led by Dr. Jr Martin Luther King lasted for one year and ended when our supreme court gave a verdict that bus segregation is against the constitution. Rosa Parks got her strength from her family as she was brought up in a family that valued education. Courage gave her the strength to stand up and fight instead of just giving up. Even though she was also discouraged by her husband and family members because of her safety reasons. She moved on with courage. Even her very humble background didn’t stop her. Rosa Parks was awarded a congressional gold medal by our government for her exceptional courage.

The true courage of Rosa Parks attracted many brave souls and common people alike. It helped them in realizing their dreams like equal rights abolition of racial segregation and many more. One brave soul can actually kindle the spirits of millions. Rosa Parks stands as one of the best examples. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela showed exceptional courage in their freedom struggles. Courage is like wildfire as it can spark the flames of hope and can move millions. Courage is very important in life because it makes you stand up for what you believe in. Courage is something that you believe in or show a brave act towards. Courage affects our thoughts and our actions thereby it affects our future world positively. Courage will help us in realizing our dreams and thoughts. Courage will also help us make a difference and stand apart from the crowd because it’s what you believe in and you are sharing your ideas and thoughts with the world. The whole greatness of today’s world is because of the courage of many brave hearts. Courage can make everything possible when it is implemented in action wholeheartedly.

Abstract

Today’s problems such as hunger, poverty, unemployment, corruption and ethnic wars, lack of liberty and justice, globalization that is skewed, and environmental degradation are threatening the flora and fauna and lives of many people throughout the world and putting future generations at great risk. The issues have actually heightened and their solutions require urgent and radical changes. Academics and scholars argue that contemporary leadership practices will not be able to solve these problems. Preserving the status quo is all what contemporary leadership practices are concerned with or they are not doing anything to solve them.

This paper argues that for these problems to be solved there is need for courageous leadership practices. These courageous leaders are brave, have a heart, spirit and exceptional intellectual and emotional capacity to make drastic changes. They are risk takers and able to face and deal with difficult problems instead of overtaking them to move organizations and nations forward. They are creative to make objective analysis, select the most effective strategies, motivate people at their maximum capacities and act under high uncertainties. Great courageous political leaders of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries such as Ataturk, Mao, Lenin, Castro, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and the others made drastic changes. They solved many difficult problems through utilizing again some of those courage-related characteristics. Also, business leaders like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Strive Masiyiwa used some of those courage-related characteristics for building new and successful business organizations.

This paper analyzes the courage characteristics of these leaders to include intellectual (knowledge) courage, moral courage, creativity courage, biological courage, and follower’s courage. The analysis will be based on the framework of strategic management process. The insights are gathered from their leadership experiences that may provide some perspectives for the leaders to solve current problems and satisfy people’s needs.

Introduction

The biggest problems the world is facing today is hunger, poverty, unemployment, corruption terrorism and wars. Populations have been denied of their liberty, justice is non-existent, unfair globalization and environmental degradation are generating crises, distress and anxieties in the societies. People’s lives have been put at risk as a result of these problems. As evidenced contemporary leadership practices have failed to address these problems. Most people, many academicians and scholars argue that the current political and economic policies of contemporary leadership practices will not be able to solve the current problems; and they need to be changed (Drucker, 1993; Senge, Kellerman, 2012; Ross, 2011; Stiglitz, 2012). Contemporary leaders in today’s world mostly protect their own interests, and the interests of the political and economic groups that brought them into these positions. (Reich, 2010). Their political and economic policies are more concerned with short-term objectives for quick results and they neglect to address difficult problems that are highly likely to be harmful for the society in the long-term (Sacks, 2008; Collis, 1998).

Stiglitz noted that the economic policies of contemporary leadership practices generated unequal groups of 1% and 99% in many countries based on income and wealth figures (Stiglitz, 2012). The political policies provided disproportionate voice to those at the top. These kind of policies are very evident in Zimbabwe. Democracy is no longer at play because of these policies, and the vision of democracy of many people became the democracy of 1%, by 1%, for the 1% of the people at the expense of the remaining 99 % (Stiglitz, 2012). Many people express dissatisfactions with their leaders throughout the world due to unfair and inappropriate contemporary leadership practices. These inappropriate leadership practices have been met with protests. There have been protests in Zimbabwe, Sudan and Spain. These protests were outraged by the high rate of unemployment, poverty and high cost of living. The ‘occupy wall street’ in the United States were even louder in expressing their anger and dismayed with the economic and political policies of the current leaders. People in Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iran, and Bahrain resisted and even risked their lives for opposing the policies of dictatorial leaders. In some countries, many writers, journalists, academicians, and students were suppressed, terrorized and even jailed for being critical of the current leadership practices and demands for the change of those policies. The protests in Zimbabwe in January 2019 and the murder of Journalist Gilstrict in Turkey are examples of how people can be jailed, dehumanized and women raped for expressing their opinions. Some scholars argue that contemporary leadership practices were changed and they came to an end as the leadership shifted from individual leaders to followers (Ross; Stiglitz, 2012). This though does not seem to happen in Zimbabwe in the new future. There is need for a new paradigm shift which requires radical changes of political, economic and social policies of an organization and a nation (Barker, 1992). Although strong demand of followers and the scale of problems were developed enough for radical changes, courageous leadership is necessary to accomplish such transformations.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the courageous leadership practices of great leaders and focus on major courage characteristics that play an important role for successful leadership practices. It also aims to investigate the nature and the sources of the courage characteristics and determine how, where, and when they are used in their leadership practices. The writer believes this analysis is the first to examine the impact of courage in leadership practices systematically within the strategic management framework (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble, 2010). The strategic management framework determines how courage characteristics influence a leader’s successes and presents some insights from their leadership experiences.

This is how this paper is organized. The introductory part is on the concept of courage, courage characteristics and strategic leadership characteristics as shown in section 2. Section 3 brings out the method of analysis which is made within the framework of strategic leadership process. Section 4 is on the utilization of courage characteristics with examples from experiences of great courageous leaders. The final part are conclusions and discussions.

Concept of Courage, Courage Characteristics and Strategic Leadership Practices: Literature Review

Courage is a pertinent quality of leaders for determining the impressive vision and achieving the exceptional outcomes. There are a number of courage characteristics that play an important role in effective leadership practices. This paper looks at courage-related characteristics including intellectual, moral, creativity, biological and followers’ courage characteristics.

Concept of courage and courage characteristics

Most leadership scholars have defined leadership as a process of influencing relationship among leaders and followers (Rost, 1993). In this paper thus, strategic leadership is defined as a process of developing a shared vision, environmental scan analyzing the internal and external environment, designing and implementing strategies for solving problems and satisfying followers’ needs. Available literature shows that the majority of successful leaders used some or most of the elements of this process (Thompson Jr., Strickland, and Gamble, 2010; Daft, 2005). It is also clear and of importance that successful leadership outcomes depend on the styles and qualities of leaders, and followers, and the environmental conditions of the organization and the nation (Daft, 2005; Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson, 1997). Hostile environments have tended to produce dictatorial tendencies. The style of leadership is crucial in how leaders make drastic changes and solve difficult problems for the benefit of followers’ needs and demands. Examples of these leadership styles are transformational leadership (Tichy and Devenna, 1986), charismatic leadership (Conger and Kanungo, 1988), participative leadership including stewardship (Block, 1993), servant leadership (Greenleaf, 1977; Sendjaya and Sarros, 2002), visionary leadership (Nanus, 1992), and democratic leadership (Ackoff, 1994; Sen, 2003). Such leaders require qualities of deep intellectual intelligence, skills and values such as honesty, integrity, drive, collectivity, justice, courage, fairness and these play a significant role for a successful leadership (Stogdill, 1948 and 1974; Locke, 1991). Studies have also brought out that the emotional intelligence of a leader’s ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotions such as anger, fear, and love for self and followers are important for leadership success (Goleman, 1995).

Other studies have argued that the qualities of followers including participation, awareness, courage, independence, dependability, responsibility and cooperativeness are important for effective leadership (Chaleff, 1995; Kauzes and Posner, 1993). It has also been argued the quality followers are important for effective leadership and they become the source of power to take over the leadership practices for the outcomes of effective leadership (Kellerman, 2012; Ross, 2011).

Strategic Leadership and Courage

The Webster Dictionary (1973) courage is defined as a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. It is the ability to act in spite of doubt or fear. Courage is about accepting responsibility, breaking traditions, reducing boundaries, and initiating change. It’s when a person pushes beyond the comfort zone, focusing on what one wants and saying what one thinks, and fighting for what one believes (Daft, 2005). Effective leaders have courage to see difficult situations and accept responsibility for the outcomes of decisions and actions. Those leaders who do not have courage to express their own ideas and opinions and feelings do injustice to themselves and their followers. Courage is the foundation of all the values (May, 2012) both physical and nonphysical and increase the capacity of humans to reach their maximum potential to undertake risky and difficult situations. Courage is considered the foundation of human values that influence all other values positively to increase their effectiveness. As shown in Figure 1 courage is the core of leadership.

As shown in figure 2 the tenets provide for leaders to take risks under uncertain and difficult situations; think wisely, have big visions, and decide optimally, analyze objectively, select and create appropriate strategies accurately, and motivate followers fully to achieve extra ordinary results. The available courage characteristics and their depth determine the degree of courage. Those who have more of the courage characteristics are relatively more courageous. These characteristics also impact on the leadership process, as well as affect values such as honesty, integrity, collectivity, justice, and fairness. However, leaders like Hitler,

Mussolini, Stalin, Mugabe, and Museveni who have negative values such as selfishness, arrogance, dishonesty, prejudice and who are associated with acts of violence, harm followers and their environments (Ludwig, 2002).

This paper considers the impact of courage characteristics on positive values utilized for successful leadership practices for making positive change and solving the current difficult problems. The notable leaders who have exemplified this are Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of Turkey, Vladimir Lenin of Russia, Mao Zedong of China, Fidel Castro of Cuba, Mahatma Gandhi of India, and Martin Luther King Junior of America and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. They did build their nations. Arnold M. Ludwig (2005) considered them successful visionary and innovative leaders. Business leaders like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Strive Masiyiwa, and Dangote also demonstrated great courage characteristic and made drastic changes for building the most successful businesses (O’Neil, 2004).

Method of Analysis

Leadership practices continue to change and develop (Rost, 1993). The theme of this paper is grounded on past events and these past happenings provides guidance for the present and the future. During the twentieth and the twenty first centuries, some effective and successful leadership practices have affected political and economic practices of many people around the world. The world has witnessed during this period some drastic changes that played an important role in solving huge problems and achieving great developments for human life. By analyzing successful leadership practices of the past will definitely provide important lessons for current and future leaders in solving similar problems. The author analyzed the successful leadership studies within the strategic management process as shown in figure 3 below. From the figure we can actually deduce that the main activities carried out by courageous leaders include the development of visions, missions and objectives, scanning the environment objectively, coming up with superior strategies, follower motivation and taking risks for results (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble, 2010).

The author looked at various leadership practices covering the most successful leaders selected from wider geographic areas. This was done by looking at books, articles, biographies and other related materials about the successful leadership practices and these are listed in the references.

This paper makes reference to Arnold Ludwig (2002) titled King of the Mountain to determine the most successful political leaders of twentieth and twenty first centuries. This book notes Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Lenin, Castro, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr as the most successful courageous leaders. They managed to change people’s lives both economically and politically. Also on the business side the O’Neil (2004) also notes the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jorma Ollila and Howard Schultz as those who also utilized courage characteristics for their successful leadership practices for building the best business corporations.

Courage Leadership Practices for Solving the Current Problems

To gain comparative advantage courage characteristics are used relative to others. The core courage characteristics are discussed in this section such as knowledge courage, moral courage, creativity courage, biological courage and follower courage. Examples of such leaders are also given.

Intellectual courage

Intellectual knowledge allows leaders to understand what to do, how to do it, and why. This understanding provides them with confidence for developing products and services. The how aids them to understand how to do it includes all kinds of technologies, capital equipment, process, rules and principles, and activities. Emotional knowledge (EK) provide answers to the why aspect of the reasons and means for doing things. EK is about social values, ideas, intuition, imagination and beliefs. Knowledge courage is the epitome of every decision and action of a leader as the visions, missions, and objectives are rooted from this knowledge. The source of quality power thus is courage knowledge as it influences all other parts of strategic leadership. Knowledge courage generates the most competitive advantage for leaders (Quin, 1992, Stewart, 1997).

Moral Courage

Moral values such as honesty, integrity, care, humility, and quality are the main sources of human decisions, behaviours and actions in an organization or a government. The quantity of moral values and its effective use for the welfare of people depend mainly on the moral courage of leaders. Leaders who have these values and use them for the welfare of the people in organizations and nations are called moral leaders (Gini, 1997). Most African leaders lack most of these moral values. In Zimbabwe for example the worst demise of moral values when the government unleashed security details on protesters on August 1 2018 and January 2019. The two incidences led to about 20 loss of life. Moral leaders distinguish right from wrong, do right things, have honesty and integrity, seek justice, take responsibility, fulfil commitments, possess humility, show respect and serve, show courage to stand up for what is right, encourage and develop others (Zauderer, 1992) but this has not been the case in Zimbabwe. There has been continuous human rights abuses with the responsible leaders not taking appropriate action. Unlike Gandhi and Martin Luther King Junior who demonstrated moral courage for gaining independence, liberty and equality for their followers, this has not been the case in Zimbabwe and the Sudan. All what has been displayed in Zimbabwe is immoral leadership by leaders who are arrogant, dishonest and self-serving, practice deception, deal unfairly, blame the opposition and others and ignore the interest of society, focus on their self-interest excessively, and exploit others in order to enhance themselves (Zauderer, 1992; Kouzes and Posner, 1993). Some leaders who harm others, such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini and Mugabe are examples for immoral leaders (Kunich and Lester, 1997). It is also true that many contemporary business leaders are involved in immoral leadership practices, and less than only one-third of leaders are honest (Wallington, 2003).

Creativity courage

Creative courage is about finding new ways, ideas, models, methods, techniques, and discoveries to make radical changes and solve difficult problems. It should be noted some creations are destructive in nature. They generate radical changes and destruction of the status quo and lead to demise of political, economic and social conditions (Schumpeter, 1961). This has been very true of the transitional government in Zimbabwe. When a creative process results in radical and destructive change of a nation, it is called a paradigm shift (Barker, 1992; Howie, 2011). It’s the birth of a new ideology, the birth of a new political, economic, and social system. Creative leaders know the past, see the present and predict the future. They establish a shared vision for changing and creating a new ideology, new political, economic and social systems, and new educational, legal and medical structures. Nelson Mandela’s creative courage played the crucial role for creating a new vision for South Africa’ s liberty and independence formulating the new strategies for political, economic and social systems.

Biological courage (talent)

Some courage characteristics are given through with birth as an inherited IK. These biological characteristics provide exceptional advantages for leadership practices (Colvin, 2010). The biological courage characteristics provide the main personality of leaders and make them different from other leaders. Biological courage of Fidel Castro’s drastic economic and social changes under the threat of a much more powerful state like the United States, and the biological courage of Robert Mugabe against Britain and the West offensive and Che Guevara’s willing to die for these changes are other examples of biological courage.

Followers courage

One cannot be a leadership without followers (Goffee and Jones, 2001). Robert E. Kelly (1992) argued that followers should be independent critical thinkers and active to participate fully in nation building. Followers should be critical thinkers to be aware of the significance of their own actions and actions of others. Followers without courage leave thinking to their leaders and do what they are told to do. Courageous followers should have the will to accept responsibility, take risk to challenge authority and participate in change just like the recent protests in Zimbabwe and Sudan (Chaleff, 1995). In Zimbabwe courageous followers supported opposition leader Nelson Chamisa and even died for him.

Conclusion and Discussion

People have been divided due to inequality and unemployment. This has led to serious mistrust and are not cooperative to solve problems that bedevil them. Environmental problems like global warming are destroying the planet, harming many people and putting future generations at a great risk. Many homes and families have been destroyed by terrorism and wars. Corruption is the in thing in many governments and these nations are becoming unstoppable and generating unfair opportunities and competition for many people. These inequalities cause injustice, economic and political crisis for many people.

Courageous and knowledgeable followers should understand and question the wrongs and have responsibility and commitment to make change and the will to solve big problems. The great leaders like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Junior had a variety of courage-related characteristics including knowledge, moral, creative and biological as they used them for the strategic leadership process by developing the most impressive and difficult visions, and motivating their followers fully for their exceptional successes. From the experiences of these great courageous leaders it is noted that leaders can utilize courage-related characteristics to make radical changes and solve difficult problems.

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