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Courage and integrity are at the core of successful leadership.

By Christopher Hoenig

November 01, 2000 — CIO — Leadership grows from courage and integrity, and their seeds lie in everyone. These character traits are primarily learned, not innate. And no matter what your past or present, cultivating their role in your life can make your future bolder, more decisive and more successful.

Courage is the ability to do what needs to be done, regardless of the cost or risk. Integrity is the ability to do the right thing, no matter what the doubts or temptations. A leader who can consistently do the right things, when they need to be done, is a leader with courage and integrity.

The process of building courage and integrity starts with very small moments, out of the spotlight, where only you are there to judge. It begins when you first consciously exercise courage in the face of fear, when you first exercise integrity in the face of doubt. Like any other skill, your ability to perform is a function of how much practice you have. This practice compounds like interest over the long run and builds the stock of capability and internal resources you will need when confronting the big moments in your career. If you consistently exercise courage and integrity on a small scale and push yourself gradually to higher levels, your stocks will be high when you need them. There are no instant-hero formulas.

Friend and Foe

Fear and doubt are simultaneously a leader’s two greatest allies and two greatest enemies. As an ally, fear provides self-awareness, a sense of urgency and information. Doubt, on the other hand, forms the core of scientific objectivity and learning. Yet in reality, both can be enemies. Fear can infect quickly, paralyzing action and innovation. Doubt-whether it is about what is right or oneself-can be at the root of corruption, ignorance and negligence. A leader’s success in cultivating courage and integrity is ultimately an exercise in balance.

One defining challenge for me occurred while competing for my first executive position. I had made a proposal for a bold new direction that I felt the organization needed to take. The senior members of management-the same ones who would either elect me to the top levels or deny me the promotion-were deeply split. One faction, led by the chief operating officer, was actively disdainful of my effort. The COO questioned the professionalism of my approach, cast doubt about its value and sowed fear throughout the organization about the risks of doing something so new.

 

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