What is the Role of Courage in Leadership Today?

In today’s rapidly shifting world, the traditional expectations of leadership are falling short. I’ve seen firsthand how volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (the VUCA world) have fundamentally reshaped what it means to lead.

Leaders can no longer rely on ‘business as usual’. They must do much more than craft solid strategic plans and exercise tactical brilliance.

Now, courageously connecting with and caring for the emotional experiences of their teams is a core leader competency, rather than the add-on soft skill it has been in the past.

The VUCA environment we operate in isn’t theoretical. In fact, it’s our current reality. The pace and scale of change is accelerating, and clarity is becoming increasingly elusive. Predictability is declining, and leaders are often forced to make decisions with minimal information.

Amid these conditions, uncertainty can feel like the ‘new normal.’ In truth, we are in a constant cycle of ‘next normals’ that require agility, adaptability, and courage. Understanding this dynamic is essential because employees are not just processing shifting priorities, they are also experiencing emotional upheaval. Trust in leadership is eroding at an alarming rate, with recent data suggesting roughly 29% of employees trust their immediate manager, down significantly from previous years.

Leaders who cling to certainty or command-and-control practices run the risk of losing team engagement. Modern leadership calls for courage, recently defined in Harvard Business Review research as a willingness to take bold, risky action to serve a purpose perceived as worthy, even in the face of fear. In other words, it’s about standing in ambiguity, acknowledging what is unknown, and guiding others with as much clarity and compassion as possible. As David Fairhurst, Founder and CEO of OrgShakers, puts it, “In today’s world, leadership courage isn’t about having all the answers…it’s about being steady enough to lead when the answers don’t yet exist.”

Employees look to their leaders for stability, especially when certainty in the external world is scarce. When leaders project calm focus, even during the storm of change, they give their people psychological space to stay engaged and resilient rather than withdrawn or overwhelmed.

Emotional intelligence plays a vital role here. Leaders who demonstrate empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to regulate their own emotions are far more effective at fostering trust and collaboration. In fact, emotionally intelligent leadership correlates with higher productivity and stronger team performance, underscoring that courage without emotional insight will always come up short.

Courage will inevitably manifest in different ways. It’s not just about making big decisions, but about being willing to be vulnerable. Leaders who maintain the facade of always being right risk disengagement and distrust. Admitting that you don’t have all the answers doesn’t signal weakness, it signals humanity and invites authentic connection. And in a world where many employees feel demoralized and overwhelmed, offering space for real emotion is a powerful act of leadership.

Courage also means grounding your organization in a compelling purpose that people can connect to emotionally. Purpose becomes a north star when external markers of stability are absent. When team members understand and embrace a shared mission, they are more likely to stay motivated through waves of change and uncertainty.

Yet it’s important to note that courage isn’t purely psychological. It’s observable in decisions (big and small!) and how leaders act day-to-day as well as when stakes are high. Courageous leaders are those who communicate transparently about what they know and don’t know, make decisions with imperfect data, and adjust course as reality evolves. These practices don’t just build confidence; they build trust. And trust is the tether that keeps organizations cohesive through uncertainty.

Ultimately, the role of courage in leadership is about embracing the complexity of our world while anchoring teams in purpose and psychological safety. The future may be uncertain, but leaders with courage will be the ones who not only guide their teams through disruption, but  help them flourish through it.

If you would like to discuss how we can help coach leaders in your organization to be more courageous in their practices in a way that benefits their teams and benefits business, please get in touch with me at amanda@orgshakers.com