The "IF 16"
Leadership Attributes
Number 11: Courage – The Ability to Keep Your Nerve
“If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone...”
General Omar Bradley said, "Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." Being a leader requires courage, and being courageous underlies many of the other attributes described in this book. During the American Revolution, the Continental Navy faced the world’s strongest navy, the British Royal Navy. During the battle with the HMS Serapes, Captain John Paul Jones defeated a superior British force securing an important victory for the Americans. It was during this battle that Jones spoke his famous line, “I have not yet begun to fight.”
Courage requires:
1. Accurately assessing the situation and dangers
2. Maintaining focus on the larger goals
3. Establishing hope while harnessing fear
4. Leading from the front
