“Leadership Austin recognizes that we are currently suffering from three different pandemics: COVID-19, racial and social injustice, and a lack of leadership. When looking at these three issues, I see one common deficit contributing to their severity — a lack of moral courage.
In May 2010, then-Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, David Ellwood, delivered a challenge to graduates: “Always be honest. Be courageous, even if it means telling people what they don’t want to hear. Have moral courage.”
It is a difficult challenge to live up to. Our world would be a very different place today if more of our leaders showed the bravery and moral courage needed during these times.
Courage could have altered the trajectory of the pandemic. Many of the over 450,000 lives that have been lost could have been saved if leaders had the courage to push back and use science in the face of people convinced that COVID-19 is a hoax or those who proudly label themselves anti-maskers.
Saving lives in a pandemic relies on our willingness to make sacrifices to protect ourselves and others. And that requires leadership to be honest about the difficulty that lies ahead. We might not want to hear what that looks like. Some might not want to accept not being able to dine in at a restaurant, go to a bar, or enjoy a sporting event. But the solutions to this problem demand honesty. They demand courage — from all of us.
And it is moral courage that is needed to spearhead efforts to be equitable in the distribution of a vaccine. Low-income, black, and brown communities are being decimated by this virus. Latinos comprise 53% of COVID-19 deaths in Texas alone. And yet, these populations are being vaccinated at half the rate of their white peers. Our frontline workers and elderly are left to sign up for as many waitlists as they can and keep their fingers crossed. Telling people to hope they get lucky is not leadership.
In everyday life, being courageous isn’t easy. How often do we stand up against the microaggressions faced by people of color in the workplace? How often are we bystanders, instead of allies, to people facing discrimination? How often do we shy away from confronting injustice out of fear of losing our job, damaging our reputation, or becoming socially isolated? Being courageous can be costly.
James R. Detert, a professor at the University of Virginia, has identified a concept he calls “competent courage.” By being competently courageous, a person increases their ability to be successful in fighting for positive change and decreases the potential blowback of taking these risks.
This can be a difficult concept to master. You can start small by having difficult conversations with people you trust. Follow up is important, both by advocating beyond an initial confrontation and by holding people accountable. By keeping your values at the forefront of your efforts, leaders who demonstrate competent courage can better adapt to struggles or failures in the process.
Detert identifies two important questions that are key to being successful in efforts that require courage: Is this really important? Is this the right time? The three pandemics all present us with situations where the answers are “Yes” to both of those questions. The challenge before us — to have moral courage — cannot be ignored. The cost is too great.”
