The Art of Being Courageous

In the play “No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre, some people become trapped in one room, no windows, crowded together and unable to leave. Having spent much time here, a door opens and they are free to leave. However, they remain because the unknown was too risky and filled with perceived danger. They had become comfortable with the status quo and lacked the courage to experience something much better.

This story is a perfect metaphor for many of us who have become comfortable with the status quo of our competitive efforts. Frequent encounters with danger and taking risks are presented to you in business and other arenas of life. As a company, you should know that taking on such encounters makes you inwardly strong bringing new meaning and richness to your experience. In a word, taking risks makes you feel ALIVE as they invariably lead to significant breakthroughs in your business.

Let this paragraph set the tone for a new attitude toward how you compete and why. Your greatest “highs” in business have usually been the by-product of the courage you exhibit when you take the calculated risks to improve. Naturally, there are the failures and setbacks experienced when taking risks yet even they become your teachers as you learn from them, how to become more proficient at what you do.

Charlie Hobson OBE RM discusses self confidence and courage as a leader. Using personal anecdotes from the Falklands conflict, the Northern Ireland troubles, the Kosovo uprising and Afghanistan. He highlights the need for moral courage to lead in an inspiring and effective manner.

Mark Ormrod was on foot patrol Christmas Eve 2007 and stepped on a buried landmine which resulted in him having to have both of his legs amputated above the knee and his right arm amputated above the elbow making him the first British triple amputee from the Afghanistan conflict. After his initial recovery Mark made the decision that there was no point in feeling sorry for himself and he had to just accept his situation and take things as far as he could to regain as much independence as possible……. So the journey began.

Find your courage and join us for an inspirational day of seminars and a networking lunch.