7 Acts of Courage and Other Inspirations for Spirited Dreams

One of the primary inspirations for Spirited Dreams came from a three-day leadership development seminar with Staub Leadership International in Greensboro, NC.  Rusty Staub’s short books The Seven Acts of Courage and The Heart of Leadership express the philosophies of his organization.  His group’s sessions effectively integrated a spiritual dimension into leadership development.  It wasn’t religious but their goal was for participants to live and lead with integrity, purpose, passion and power.  Despite many years as a business school professor and Sunday School teacher, I’d never seen such an approach until I attended the seminar a few years ago.

The seven Acts of Courage:

• To Dream and Put Forth That Dream
• To See Current Reality
• To Confront
• To be Confronted
• To Learn and Grow
• To be Vulnerable and to Love
• To Act

At various times in my life I’ve let important opportunities pass, let conflicts spoil relationships and not found the courage to act in a heartfelt way.  Since taking the Staub Leadership seminar, I’m more aware of when to apply specific acts of courage and use them appropriately.

Experiences as an academic administrator in a business school setting as well as leading a couple of non-profit boards have also shaped my understanding of governance and leadership.  There have been times when these boards collectively refused to see reality and were unwilling confront organizational leaders.  Looking back on those times, I’ve wondered why we let problems fester and lacked courage to act.  I’ll share in future posts what I’ve learned through this process.  Hopefully, you’ll find these reflections insightful and helpful in your professional and personal endeavors.