My Story about Managerial Courage
In business, courage and wisdom are the partners of success.
Managerial courage is the willingness of a leader to do what is right, even when it is uncomfortable, unpopular, or personally risky. It involves addressing performance issues directly, making difficult decisions, and having honest conversations that others may avoid. Courageous managers provide clear expectations, give timely feedback, and hold people accountable while remaining fair and respectful. They speak up when processes are broken, challenge ineffective practices, and advocate for their teams when resources or support are needed.
Managerial courage also means admitting mistakes, seeking input, and changing course when necessary. In manufacturing environments especially, courageous leadership protects safety, quality, and morale by confronting problems early rather than allowing them to grow. Over time, managerial courage builds trust, strengthens culture, and sets a standard of integrity and responsibility throughout the organization.
Be Wise
Managerial courage and wisdom must go hand in hand because courage without wisdom can become reckless, while wisdom without courage often leads to inaction. Courage empowers managers to address difficult issues, make tough decisions, and stand by their values, but wisdom ensures those actions are thoughtful, measured, and aligned with long-term goals. Wise managers understand timing, context, and human dynamics, allowing them to choose the right words, tone, and approach when exercising courage. They balance accountability with empathy and decisiveness with reflection. In manufacturing and other high-pressure environments, this balance is critical—leaders must act decisively to protect safety, quality, and performance, yet thoughtfully to maintain trust and morale.
When courage is guided by wisdom, managers create sustainable solutions, foster respect, and lead in a way that strengthens both people and processes.
Consider the Risks
Managerial courage can put a manager’s job at risk because doing what is right does not always align with what is comfortable or politically safe. Courageous managers may challenge long-standing practices, call out poor performance by high-tenured employees, or push back against unrealistic expectations set by senior leadership. Speaking honestly about safety concerns, quality risks, or unethical behavior can create conflict, especially in cultures that avoid accountability or value short-term results over long-term stability.
Managers who enforce standards consistently may also face resistance from employees, peers, or unions, leading to complaints or strained relationships. Additionally, admitting mistakes or refusing to compromise core values can be misunderstood as weakness or lack of alignment. While managerial courage ultimately benefits the organization, it can expose managers to scrutiny, isolation, or retaliation in environments that are not supportive of transparent, principled leadership.
My Courageous Example
I put my job on the line to save the jobs of some good employees.
Our business was in a slump. Sales were off a little bit. We experienced a 10% revenue drop after years-and-years of steady growth. We produced private label baby diapers to the tune of almost $1B per year across multiple plants. As I'm sure you can guess, baby diapers are not a seasonal business. Our sales drop made no sense.
Our biggest struggle, prior to the sales drop was hiring enough good people to support our growth rate. A big chunk of organizational energy was directed to the hiring process, on-boarding and training. New production machines arrived about every two months. It would be unacceptable for staffing to ever become a bottleneck. I would not let that happen.
But now this drop off. Ugh!
What caused it? Nobody knew. How long would it last? Nobody knew. Was it a short term blip or a long term trend? Nobody knew. But your executives started throwing around the word, "layoffs".
I knew that didn't make sense. When I heard it mentioned in the boardroom by the company president, I stepped in. I said, "If we don't layoff people and I don't achieve my labor variance target, then you can fire me." I put my job on the line. The president and his direct staff agreed to give it some time.
I immediately cut out all shopfloor overtime. I asked my staff to ensure that we were focused on performance management. We needed to be sharp. "Commend and recognize good performance and formally address poor performing employees."
It Worked!
We achieved our labor spending goals for two months despite the revenue drop-off. Then sales recovered and accelerated. After a two-month lull, we were back on our growth track and hiring like crazy. My high stakes gamble paid off. We were positioned for success and at the end of the fiscal year, let the records show, we had the most profitable year in company history!
Remember; in business, courage and wisdom are the partners of success.
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