Courage is Contagious: We Need More Bold Leaders
When a leader takes a bold action, others usually will follow.
Do you consider yourself a bold leader? If not, why? You’re likely selling yourself and your business short. There are many more opportunities for us to show courage, and it’s essential to realize your potential as a business leader.
Take, for example, Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia. Earlier this year, Huang made a bold decision to double down on investments in artificial intelligence (AI). At the time, there was significant skepticism about whether AI would take off or become a market reality. But Huang’s courageous decision to push forward and take that risk positioned Nvidia at the forefront of the AI revolution. The payoff has been massive, with Nvidia now leading the tech world in AI innovation.
Courage isn’t just for tech companies or industries defined by rapid innovation. Sometimes it’s even more important in conservative or slower-growth sectors. Courage in all industries can spark the kind of creativity and operational excellence that may be long overdue. In industries like manufacturing, healthcare, or even accounting, where risk-taking may feel more intimidating, a leader who dares to step outside the norm sets a powerful example.
Courage Drives Performance
In my work, I’ve seen firsthand how courage can drive business performance. Recently, I worked with a partner at an accounting firm who wanted to drive greater results within his team. While the firm was stable, he recognized his team was leaving business on the table. They weren’t pushing boundaries and taking risks that were likely to both drive increased revenue and provide added value to their clients. We worked on creating a culture where taking measured risks was encouraged, and learning from failure became part of the process. ‘Fail fast’ became a motto of his. Over time, the team saw improvements in both efficiency and overall performance.
Many business leaders face blocks to courage, often in the form of fear—fear of failure, fear of losing credibility, or fear of upsetting the status quo. But overcoming these blocks is crucial. As I worked through these barriers with my accounting client, he started to see how taking small, measured risks could lead to large payoffs. By sharing stories of his own past failures with his team, he modeled that mistakes were part of the journey, not something to be feared. This transparency helped his team feel safer taking risks themselves, leading to a culture of greater openness and resilience.
Build a Resilient Culture
Courageous leaders create cultures of empowerment. Leaders who take bold steps—whether in tech like Nvidia or in more conservative sectors—send a clear message that trying something new, even if it might fail, is essential to growth. According to a McKinsey Global Survey on Digital Transformation, companies that encourage risk-taking are 30% more likely to lead their industries in performance improvement.
It’s not just about innovation—it’s about building resilience and adaptability. The partner at the accounting firm demonstrated that by normalizing conversations around failure, his team felt more comfortable experimenting, improving collaboration (internal and with clients), and delivering better results. When people see leaders embracing risk and bouncing back from failure, it empowers them to do the same.
Whether in fast-moving industries like tech or more conservative environments, courage is the key to unlocking performance, resilience, and innovation. When leaders take bold steps, they set the tone for their organizations to thrive in today’s complex world.
Leading with Courage
Taking risks is never easy, but the rewards of courageous leadership extend far beyond individual success. As a leader, your bold actions can inspire others to challenge themselves, think differently, and pursue higher levels of performance. Whether you’re making tough decisions in the tech world or trying to break through in a slower-growth industry, courage is contagious—and it could be the spark that ignites a wave of positive change across your team.
