Courageous Leadership

Six critical choices.
Dr. Jerry E. White | posted 3/11/2010

Courageous leadership comes from a life of nurturing personal courage. The word courage brings to mind the heroes of movies like Gladiator, Indiana Jones, Braveheart, Rambo—or even John Newton in Amazing Grace. I think it is actually much simpler and more commonplace.

Courage is not foolishness or violence or bravado. True courage is dangerous because the result is unknown. It requires hard choices. It is painful because it involves risk.

First Corinthians 16:13-14 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."

Courage is sandwiched between being alert and standing firm, and being strong and loving. Courage, on a personal and leadership level, demands six critical choices practiced repeatedly throughout one's life:

(1) The courage to be different: For both young people and adults, the pressure to conform is relentless. Jesus refused to conform, instead healing on the Sabbath, talking to women, and confronting hypocrisy. A caution: Being different is not being obnoxious. It is not in-your-face confrontation flaunting how good you are. It is quietly and firmly living and acting in obedience to Christ.

(2) The courage to love: The mark of a believer is to love God fully, to love family sacrificially, and to love others for who they are. People know when you are leading from love. It shines through like light from a stained glass window.

(3) The courage to endure: People who persevere through difficult times grow in character and empathy. One of my early mentors was a businessman afflicted with cerebral palsy. I watched him keep going when most would have quit. His widow, also with cerebral palsy, now leads an outreach called Mephibosheth Ministries. Her face, marked by the ravages of the disease, shines with courage and endurance. Also, Kyle Maynard—a Georgia state champion wrestler without arms or legs—wrote a book titled No Excuses. He said, "It's not what I can do; it's what I will do."

(4) The courage to choose to do right: This is integrity. It shows up in the little things. It is not usually the Goliaths that sink people but rather the Bathshebas: a secret moral choice is made. Most of these choices are personal and private, but they spill over into the way we lead, our finances, lifestyle, fundraising methods, and the way we care for people.

(5) The courage to stand up for what is right on behalf of others: When others are being mistreated, we support them. When they are defenseless, we defend them. Babies, single moms and dads, the elderly, and the infirm need us to intercede for them both with God and with organizations and governments. This is justice.

(6) The courage to be faithful in the basics of the Christian life: Your daily walk with Christ through reading the Bible and prayer are the foundation of your actions. A leader who engages in the personal study of Scripture regularly, apart from speaking preparation, will grow deep in God. The cultivation of holy habits builds foundations for courage. Peter and John in Acts 4 confounded the Sadducees: " … they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

Courageous leadership wells up from the depth of our soul. It is not a learned skill, but rather infuses our God-given skills and gifts with the courage that comes only from God and our walk with him. "A man's courage can sustain his broken body, but when courage dies, what hope is left?" (Prov. 18:14, TLB). "So lead on with courage and strength" (Josh. 1:18, TLB).

Dr. Jerry E. White is president emeritus and chairman of the U.S. board of the Navigators. He is also chairman of the board of directors for Christian Leadership Alliance. He has authored or co-authored numerous books, including the best-selling Honesty,Morality and Conscience (NavPress), which addresses these personal character issues.

Dr. Jerry White's newest book is The Joseph Road: Choices That Determine Your Destiny (NavPress, 2009). It examines a powerful lesson in the biblical story of Joseph: that our true destiny is decided not by the depth of our troubles but by pursuing the will of God in the midst of them. This book shares the Joseph Plan, which aims to help readers discover their own destiny as they learn more about the character of God. To learn more, visit NavPress.com.

Copyright © 2010 Christian Leadership Alliance.