The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur

Gutsy, Courageous and Fearless (Oh My!)

Some weeks back I was writing a blog post about an upcoming Big Dreamers guest, Allyson Tapin, who I referred to as fearless. It got me thinking about the terms we use interchangeably for outside-the-box behavior: brave, gutsy, courageous, fearless, chutzpah, risktaker to name a few.

This reminded me of the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, where the Cowardly Lion hooks up with three pals in search of something different (in the lion's case, courage) and along the way discovers that courage isn't something that's tucked between some yellow bricks. 

The irony, of course, is that the Cowardly Lion displays great bravery along his journey; leaping across a chasm with companions on his back to escape an enemy and even overcoming his own fears in hunting food for his friends. But still he thinks of himself as cowardly.

We probably all know someone whose actions we consider courageous. It might be the supervisor or manager who can always be counted on to speak up in situations that others find uncomfortable. Perhaps, it's a vendor who's willing to risk a customer's ire by revealing a flaw in their process rather than covering it up and remaining silent.  

Complacency can devolve into feelings of futility (and silence) if allowed to go unchallenged. One of the biggest risks for companies hoping to come out of this economic cycle well positioned for an upswing, is to ignore the elephant in the room--silence as consensus--and then mistakenly consider this collaboration, and by association, innovation. 

It might surprise you that speaking up is as much an executive and senior leader challenge as it is for hourly employees, something three U.S. professors discovered in a 10-year study they conducted that debunks four myths of why employees don't speak up. Hint: it's not always fear of retaliation that silences people.

What's in a Word?

Is resilience a form of courage? Does it take more courage to face the same (or similar) situation twice if the first time around resulted in a painful experience? Is gutsy more spontaneous behavior that doesn't always take into account longer-term consequences?

I asked my followers on Twitter and Facebook what they considered the difference between gutsy and courageous and received some interesting responses:

• I would say "gutsy" effects the now and "courageous" effects both the now and more importantly the future.
• Gutsy is shoot from the hip and courageous is more calculated.
• I haven't thought this through completely but "gutsy" strikes me as stepping outside your usual box in a way that's different from courageous. I think you could be a rather timid person but make a gutsy move in a certain situation - like standing up for someone else (or yourself!) Gutsy also seems more temporal.
• For me, courage implies a morally accountable bravery, while gutsy simply means willing to try something new. Sometimes, gutsy and courageous converge, but not always. For example, it takes guts and courage to speak up for the underdog. Guts because it's frightening to do something outside our everyday social interaction and courage because we weigh our personal comfort against the needs of someone else and choose to fulfill their needs. In other cases, they are completely separate. For example, gutsy people might do something outside their comfort zone that isn't too smart, but does require the ability to try something new - like skydiving, driving fast, or visiting a foreign country on the spur of the moment. And courage doesn't necessarily require us to do something new or different. For example, it takes a certain courage to stay the course and do what is required to care for an ailing partner, day after day.
• Gutsy = Tactical --> Courageous = Strategic

During our radio segment, Allyson Tapin of Women Who Tech differentiated between the two words using social media as examples: she considers herself more gutsy when she "tweets" and more courageous when she writes her blog posts.

How do you differentiate between courageous and gutsy behaviors? 

De-clutter, Then Transition: 10 Items, 10 Minutes by 2010

It's the end of another year and we would all agree a rather tough one at that. You're ready to brush off 2009. But not so fast.

Before you can move forward, you'll want to acknowledge the baggage that you're still dragging along or it could wind up cluttering your life and any shiny new plans you have in 2010.

No matter how out of shape you think you are most of us can do one set of ten reps. So, I've come up with ten things that you can do in the waning days of 2009 in ten minutes. Many of you will finish them in under ten!

Clutter #1: Earliest insult to you in 2009.

Remember the time your colleague embarrassed you in that meeting in front of all those people? Now, think of one thing you can laugh about. Come on, you have to admit that this guy's haircut is what put him in such a foul mood in the first place.

You're so over it.

Clutter #2: Earliest insult to another person in 2009.

Remember the time you embarrassed that consultant in front of the client? She became flustered during the presentation and wasn't able to convince higher ups that your team's project needed the funding.

Apologize to her as if she's standing right in front of you. While you're at it, why not apologize to your team as well since they were forced to work on that other project.

Promise yourself to feel less threatened in 2010 and to learn from those who possess different skills than you.

Clutter #3: The best "I'm pissed" email that you saved, but didn't send.

You know the email. It was the one that you dashed off to yourself in the heat of anger and saved as a template in the "P.O." folder because of the language prowess and powerful use of verbs.

Go ahead. Re-read it once more, then delete the folder and clean out your recycling bin.

Clutter #4: The best "I'm pissed" email that you accidentally sent. 

Oh yeah. The one that was distributed by more people in a single minute than will take you the time to remember it, blush profusely (again), and remind yourself to write these emails at home with yourself in the "To" line.

Unless you were fired over the incident, it's time to laugh at your "human-ness" and let it go. If you did lose your job over it, it's time to forgive yourself, but still let it go.

Clutter #5: The worst outfit you own (even for the best of intentions).

You know the one. Your ex (spouse, S.O, etc.) bought for you and you can't seem to give it away. It's your way of remembering a relationship that was probably not very good in the first place. The problem is that a) it was never your color b) you've gained 15 lbs or c) the "ex" was known for h/her bad taste in clothing.

Remove the item from your closet or drawer. Place it in a bag to be donated to someone who will feel blessed by it.

Clutter #6: The best boss ever, now replaced by the worst.

Just when you were looking forward to working with the best leader at your company in 2010, she was promoted and replaced by an inexperienced manager who never smiles and BTW knows nothing about your business. Already, you're feeling a dark cloud rising over 2010.

Write down one good thing about your new manager. Try.

Then scribble on a piece of paper: "Jan 2010 - to stay or not to stay". You can answer that question next month.

Clutter #7: The idea you didn't act on in 2000.

Yes, the one that you've listed every year for the last decade. The feeling that continues to hold you back from acting on any of the other great ideas you've had since then.

Let yourself down--easy. You weren't ready to act on this idea a decade ago no matter how prepared you think you were at the time.

Instead, why not make a one-minute list of all the ways you're now ready to act on your best ideas in 2010.

Clutter #8: The fear you've outgrown (but won't let go).

You've hung on to this fear since grade school when your sad, unmotivated, and disgruntled teacher labeled you incompetent at _______, ________, ________, or ________.

Fear is a feeling that somehow you're not good enough. Tying Trying something doesn't mean that you have to be perfect at it. You can now choose to have some fun tackling any of these things (again). 

Then, forgive your teacher for not feeling a passion for teaching and yourself for feeling the need to hang on to this.

Clutter #9: One message that you didn't heed in 2009.

Messages come to us in many different forms--people we meet (even for fleeting moments) to books that we read or conversations we might overhear.

Synchronicity of events and coincidences are often the proverbial message in a bottle.

Heed one message that you didn't act on at the time by acknowledging it now. Then, promise yourself to listen to and trust your intuition more in 2010 so that this muscle becomes one of the strongest ones you possess.

Clutter #10: The love that you didn't feel.

The year 2009 was tough for a lot of people for many different reasons. But even in the midst of pain, you can probably remember one experience that made you feel good about yourself even if, at the time, you didn't acknowledge the feeling.

Remember it now.

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Independence Beyond Borders

Today, we're celebrating Independence Day in the U.S.

Our country is 232-years-old, quite young considering England has chairs older than our country, a tidbit shared with me by an English friend during a tour of Winston Churchill's home in Kent.

People will celebrate the Fourth with BBQs, picnics, parades, topped off with the prerequisite evening fireworks.

For me the true meaning of independence came to light during a two-and-a-half year sojourn to Europe and the Middle East in 1976. Fresh out of college, bookish but naive, I left our shores for England just as our country was celebrating its Bicentennial.