Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.
—Winston Churchill
Courage is not the lack of fear (Figure 8.1), or the absence of fear is just to move forward even when you do not feel totally ready to do something new (Bucero 2010). Preparation is key for professional success but if you have an opportunity to try something new, please try it. I am a dreamer and I use my courage in my professional life to convert my dreams into reality. All of us had fear at times when trying new and challenging things but my advice is to move forward and try it. What happens if you fail? I usually apologize and try to learn more about the reasons of my failure.
One of my examples of applying courage was for the founding of the first PMI chapter in Spain. I was a project manager who worked for Hewlett Packard. Having some years of experience, I did not feel like a champion or the best project manager, but when I attended my first project management symposium in the United States in 1992, I did not understand why I was the only Spanish project manager there. Then and I said to myself: Alfonso, you need to propose to PMI for starting a PMI chapter in Spain. I was sure that we had a lot of project management practitioners in my country but they did not show up in that symposium. Many of them did not speak good English including me, and I moved forward.
As soon as I came back to Spain, I contacted several project professionals who were interested in my idea, and I tried to motivate them to move forward. I needed to contact PMI, even with my poor English level, but I used my passion, persistence, and patience and I did. It took some teleconferences and several face-to-face meetings. In fact, we organized our first project management professional event in Madrid. We made the effort of creating a PMI chapter several times, and we found several obstacles. For example, not all the members of the team were committed to dedicate some time periodically to work on the project plan preparation. The first leader who started the initiative felt bad because he thought he was not respected because of his race—he was African American. The second leader tried to make more professionals interested, but he was not very influential and did not succeed. We failed two times and turned successful the third time. Finally, the PMI Madrid Chapter was formally created in 2003, and I was one of the founders. I tried to collaborate as a founder with the chapter’s board of directors and I found some obstacles again because of the personality of the first president. I decided to start another PMI chapter in Barcelona because I have some good friends and professionals there. And I did it two years later using my lessons learned creating the Madrid chapter.
Figure 8.1 Courage
How Courage Can Help You to Develop the 3 Ps
Have good courage and prosperity will come. As a consequence, then you shall have good success. In order to succeed in any profession, you have to have good courage. It is related to self-confidence and that is a consequence of hard work on preparing yourself. In my experience, most of people who are well prepared are usually becoming self-confident persons.
In my case, as a believer, I say thank you God every day and he is all time with me. Then for fear, I do not feel alone. If you are not a believer, you can talk to yourself and say, “I can do it” and the only thing you need is to believe that you can. Gaining your self-confidence is key to apply your courage.
I remember that by the end of last year, I got discouraged and could not see much fruit of my business work. One of my project management colleagues asked me about my business progress by e-mail and told him about my discouragement because most organizations have changed the way they support people in project management. And one morning, as I was in my office, my colleague phoned me and wanted to know what I was discouraged about. I told him, because I could see no result from my work on my business, I did an special effort to create some new products and services and I could not sell them to my customers. He asked me a powerful question that I will never forget. That question was: Alfonso, are you committed to continue with your project management consulting business and dealing with it as a high priority? My answer was yes, definitely. He told me, “Ok then, never give up.” If you are unhappy with the customers responses you got, change your strategy. I can help you to find other potential deals where you can move forward and present a proposal. Then a new window was opened for me. He made my day!
On one side, it was risky to move to other business sectors, new experiences, new customer contacts, and new environment, but I had the passion to continue with my business and also the support from my colleague, who has a lot of customer contacts. I had spent almost three years working on my new products and services. Then I used my persistence, and with my colleague’s support, I started to find other potential customers to contact and sell my project management services. It took me close to three months, but I found some new customers and met some of them. Now I have been working since last January and in less than six months my progress was very good. I found some new customers interested in my project management services and have presented new proposals.
This is a real example about how my courage has helped me on my business continuity and how cultivating my three Ps (passion, persistence, and patience) are still helping me to continue. Develop your courage is possible and it is a consequence of practicing my three Ps and self-confidence. You can do it, remember that you are excellent, and then act as if you wear a crown in your head.
Some Obstacles About Courage
In 2006, I decided to start a Leadership Master Class from PMI (Figure 8.2). I have been a PMI volunteer over the years and I submitted my application to participate in that program. That Master Class was one year long and it was a blended training (face-to-face plus virtual classes and coaching). I started in May 2006 and I was studying and attending the training for six months, but suddenly my mother had an accident and she had a surgery on her left leg. Because of that I could not attend the second face-to-face session, so I lost a four-day class. But instead of giving up, I wrote a message to the Master Class coordinator and I told him that I wanted to continue, asking him what I could do to move forward. I needed to study in my own for a couple of months, and after being persistent with my request, I was accepted for another class two months later.
My courage was maintained because I used my persistence dealing with that issue and was patient in waiting an answer from PMI. It was great because at the end of the Master Class, when I was graduated, I had double amount of contacts from the first class and from the second one. In this case, my obstacle created an opportunity for me meeting and establishing a relationship with more colleagues.
Figure 8.2 Some obstacles about courage
The greatest leaders do not just move past an obstacle—they find meaning in it and use it to their advantage. When you face a challenge, you cannot just look at how it is limiting you; you have to look at how it changes you, and how it could change you for the better. “Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition—such as lifting weights—we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity,” said Stephen Covey.
All leaders eventually face hardship. Great leaders overcome those hardships and improve themselves in the process. Whether you are a boss, an entrepreneur, a scientist, or a mentor, you have to look at your weakest moments as opportunities rather than limitations. Every obstacle and every failure is just another step toward your ultimate destination: success.
Develop Your Courage
Courage is a personality trait that everyone possesses, but it sometimes falters because of bad experiences or memories (Figure 8.3). Having courage is necessary to succeed in many situations in life from meeting the opposite sex to doing your job. But by identifying the source of any lack of courage and actively changing your behaviors, you can build confidence in any aspect of your life.
Some suggestions are as follows:
1. Determine your specific fears. People are often reluctant to admit that they are afraid of something and this may be undermining their confidence and courage.
Figure 8.3 Develop your courage
• In order to begin building courage, you need to determine your specific fear. You may not even be aware of your specific fear(s) until you begin to think about what causes you to lack courage.
• Write a list of your fears as you figure them out. This may help you to develop a plan to overcome them and build your courage.
• This will likely not be an easy exercise because it often causes a person to feel embarrassed or ashamed.
2. Figure out the cause of your fears. The lack of courage, or timidity, often stems from some form of fear that is learned through experience or memory. Identifying the sources of your specific fears can help you to begin taking proactive steps to change this behavior and ultimately gain courage in any situation.
• Thinking about specific experiences that may have contributed to your lack of confidence and countering them with positive experiences can help to get you in the proper frame of mind
to start building your confidence and courage. For example, perhaps you fear rejection by the opposite sex because someone rejected you once before. To offset this fear, think about situations where the opposite sex has welcomed you.
• If you cannot identify a specific experience that is the source of your fear, it may be from a memory or a social fear, such as the shame of failure. For example, if you’ve never touched a snake, but are afraid of them, this may stem from someone related to you either telling you that snakes are dangerous. You can offset memory fears by actively thinking about when and how these fears may have been realized in the past.
• Thinking about your fears and their sources can help you to grow out of them over time. Simply acknowledging your fears may be the only thing you need to overcome them.
3. Recognize your courage. Just as it’s important to identify your fears, you should also recognize that you also possess courage in many situations. Taking the time to acknowledge that you are courageous can help you to figure out how to apply this quality to situations in your life that cause timidity.
• Everyone possesses courage in some way, even if it’s “hidden” or seemingly simple. For example, you may be open to moving often to other parts of your country or world, which requires courage not only to start over in new situations but also to take the risk of possible failure.
• Recognizing your courage can help you to develop your behavior and begin building courage in every aspect of your life.
4. Develop a concrete plan to build your courage. Once you’ve identified your specific fears and recognized situations where you exhibit courage, develop a concrete plan to work on building your courage. An explicit strategy you can follow may help you stay on track if you have setbacks or see your progress over time.
• Write out your plan and update it as necessary. Having a tangible list can help motivate you.
• For example, if you are afraid of driving alone on a highway, you can develop a plan to help you get used to it until you have the courage to take on the task. Your plan might include the items “ride in the passenger seat on the highway, drive with a friend or family member on major roads, drive alone on major roads, drive with a friend or family member on a highway, drive alone on the highway.”
Develop Behaviors to Develop Courage
Every professional can develop some behaviors to develop his or her courage. Some lessons learned as a project professional helped me to suggest the following:
1. Script situations that elicit your fears. Tackling a fear can cause any person to lose confidence and avoid a situation that could otherwise help them build confidence. Employing the behavioral tactic of scripting can help you engage with otherwise scary situations and build courage.
• Scripting is a technique where you conceptualize a game plan or “script” for a specific situation and follow through with it. For example, if you are scared of speaking to your boss, write notes and develop a plan that will allow you to have equal command of the meeting. Think about what you could say in response to any questions or contingencies that may arise in your interaction.
2. Frame what you fear in simpler terms. If you are confronted with something that causes you fear or to lose courage, frame it in simple terms. Framing is a behavioral technique that can help you shape how you think and feel about specific situations by making them seem commonplace or banal.
• For example, if you are afraid to swim in the ocean, you can reframe it as “this is just a very large pool and I will stay within this specific area.”
• Working with smaller and more manageable units of anything will help build your courage.
3. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Every person is different and comparing yourself to other people can minimize your self-confidence. Focusing on yourself and not comparing yourself to others is essential to building your confidence and courage.
• Keep in mind that while some people may possess courage in some situations, you likely possess it that others may not. If you get into a situation with someone who has courage in a situation that you don’t, for example if fellow teammate never seems to worry about letting others down and you
do, think about something that you excel at that they don’t. Shifting the focus back to your ability can help you to see that you have courage.
• Many people may project courage in order to intimidate others. Don’t let another person’s courage or confidence undermine yours.
4. Embrace the positive and avoid the negative. Negative thoughts and attitudes are draining and if you give in to them, they will become stronger and undermine your confidence and courage. Seeking out the positive in any situation will help build your overall courage.
• Even in the most fearful situations, there is always some aspect of courage. It might take some time to recognize but being able to see these courageous aspects in anything will help build your confidence and courage.
5. Have confidence and believe in your ability to be courageous. Two characteristics of a courageous person is that they not only have confidence in themselves, but also that they believe in their ability to succeed and overcome fears [16]. By cultivating and projecting confidence in yourself and to others, you set yourself on the path to building and maintaining courage.
• Confidence comes from many sources, including knowing that you have a good education and training, good relationships, or even that you look good. This confidence can help bolster your courage and make you feel more willing to tackle your fears.
• It’s important to know that even if you are confident and courageous, that failure is an important part of overcoming fears and growing.
6. Take risks and accept failure. Part of building your courage is taking risks, some of which will be successful and others, which may fail. The ability to take a risk and accept the potential failure can significantly help to boost your confidence and courage in the future.
• Simply stepping out of your comfort zone will help to build confidence.
• Take calculated risks and move slowly. For example, if you are afraid of heights, start to build your courage in high places slowly. You can climb to a three-meter diving board and look into a pool or take the stairs to the top of a small building. You don’t have to skydive from a plane to tackle your fear of heights and build courage.
• Accept that there is going to be failure in any endeavor. Learning to embrace the failure and then move on can help to not undermine your courage and allow you to continue taking calculated risks.
7. Use obstacles to your benefit. Take obstacles that present themselves in your life and turn them into assets. This is another form of taking risks and can help to boost your courage and confidence.
• There is a famous story about Nelson Mandela who decided to change South Africa after being told by a tribal elder that his status as a second-class citizen would effectively mean he wasn’t a man. Using Mandela’s model of taking an obstacle and turning it into an asset can help you gain the courage to overcome your hindrances.
• For example, perhaps you have an injury that makes it difficult to take part in certain sports. Finding certain ways to modify playing a sport you want can significantly build your courage.
8. Take the road less traveled. Taking the road less traveled not only requires taking risks, but also having the courage to act differently than others. Standing by your convictions, even if they’re unpopular, and taking unconventional paths can help increase your courage.
• For example, if you want to set up a school for children in a remote valley of Nepal instead of going to law school like your friends after college graduation, take the steps to follow your dream. It takes significantly more courage to travel your path than to do what society and friends may expect of you.
9. Relax and have fun as much as possible. Being able to relax and have fun in any situation can help you to build courage. Not focusing on the potential for failure and staying positive can help you be successful in any situation, which may lead to greater confidence and courage.
• One study showed that positivity, including in the form of relaxation and having fun, contributes significantly to successfully overcoming situations.
10. Keep moving forward. You will occasionally have negative thoughts, which is normal and acceptable, but learn not to dwell on them. By always moving toward the positive, you will be able to change your negative attitude. Remember that you need to remind you every day that you are excellent in front of your mirror.
Courage Assessment Tool
This assessment is one of possible assessments in courage and is not meant to label you as either a hero or a coward. It is merely intended to get a broad measure of how susceptible you are to fear (Part I) and how susceptible you are to bravery (Part II). Answer the following questions as honestly as possible. You will need a pen and paper for this quiz. Please respond to each statement by choosing the number from 1 to 7 that indicates how much you agree or disagree. Note down the number for each answer, and then calculate your score by following the instructions at the end of each part. At the final section I suggest how to interpret the scores.
Part 1: Your Fear Score
1. I worry about how others will view me.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
2. I frequently focus on possible failure.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
3. My fear of making mistakes sometimes holds me back from trying.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
4. I find physical adventure intimidating.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
5. My worry holds me back from doing what I’d like to do.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
6. The world is full of people who will take advantage of you given a chance.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
7. I experience fear or worry every day.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
8. I feel that if I let go of the control of projects bad things will happen.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
9. It is usually better to play it safe.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
10. I like to stick to the familiar.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
For Part 1 add up your total score and write it down. Scores below 40 suggest that you experience passing fears and that you likely do not hold yourself back in life. Scores of 40 to 50 suggest that you experience fears that you might in some cases keep you from engaging in life in the way you would otherwise hope to. Scores above 50 suggest that you experience a fair amount of worry, anxiety, and fear. It may or may not be severe, but it suggests there is room for growth in getting control of your own fear as you learn to be more courageous.
Part 2: Your Propensity toward Bravery
1. I take risks because they usually pay off.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
2. I know I will be able to handle problems if they arise.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
3. I don’t mind a little conflict if it means doing something important to me.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
4. I usually expect the best.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
5. I would be willing to go skydiving or engage in another challenging behavior just to prove to myself that I could.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
6. I have a history of taking on challenging projects.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
7. Intense social pressure would not make me hesitant to do the right thing.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
8. I would express an opinion if I thought it were correct, even if I knew it would be unpopular.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
9. I would be likely to confront a parent who was yelling in a mean way at a children’s sporting event.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
10. If there were a medical emergency, I could be counted on to remain calm and do my part.
• (Strongly Disagree)
• (Disagree)
• (Slightly Disagree)
• (Neutral)
• (Slightly Agree)
• (Agree)
• (Strongly Agree)
For Part 2 add up your total score and write it down. Scores of 40 to 50 suggest that you tend to take appropriate risks and face challenging circumstances. Very low scores, such as 20 to 30 suggest that you have room to grow in the courage department. Extraordinarily high scores, such as 60 to 70, should also be examined closely. Such scores might indicate that you are naturally courageous but might also indicate a tendency not to look before you leap. The bravest individuals often have to temper their courage to make sure they are using their talents wisely and not taking risks that could bring avoidable negative consequences or failure.
Computing Your Courage Quotient
When you look at your fear score and at your propensity toward bravery score, bear in mind that these are not infallible measures. They may miss out on small but important aspects of your personality and behavior. They are not meant to be read as the final authoritative word on anyone’s level of courage. They are simply a psychological “snapshot” of the relative amount of internal fear you contend with on a day-to-day basis, and how accomplished you currently are at dealing with fear. Regardless of the specifics of your scores, the real magic will be in seeing how your fear score diminishes and your propensity toward bravery score increases as you read this book and apply its various techniques.
Chapter Summary
Courage does not always roar as a lion. Sometimes courage is the little voice from a mouse at the end of the day that says I will try again tomorrow. Use your courage every day as a project manager and learn a little more each day.
These are my suggested reminders for this chapter:
1. Courage is not the lack of fear, or the absence of fear is just to move forward even when you do not feel totally ready to do something new.
2. Have good courage and prosperity will come. As a consequence, then you shall have good success.
3. Courage is linked to self-confidence and that is a consequence of hard work on preparing yourself.
4. The greatest leaders do not just move past an obstacle—they find meaning in it and use it to their advantage
5. As a professional, you have to look at your weakest moments as opportunities rather than limitations.
6. But by identifying the source of any lack of courage and actively changing your behaviors, you can build confidence in any aspect of your life.
7. Assess your courage quotient and prepare your action plan to improve.
References
Bucero, A. 2010. Today Is a Good Day: Attitudes for Achieving Project Success. Ontario, Canada: Multimedia Publications.
Covey, S. 2004. The Seven Habits of High Effective People. Rosetta-book.