The Courage to Act: 5 Factors of Courage to Transform Business

Courage is something we often don't speak about, in the context of business organisations, yet it is a key ingredient to success. This book does not pretend to remake our understanding of leadership or organisational development. It does help to unpack the concept of courage, often reframing our current knowledge and offers a refreshing and practical approach to helping individuals, teams and organisations act with greater courage and effect change in their environments.
Two points of caution, though. First, there are a number of examples outlined in the book, to illustrate various concepts and work-related situations. While the examples are effective in describing these situations, I got the sense that there is more to tell in each of these cases. It would have been useful for the authors to provide us with the full richness and intimacy of these stories, as we would have identified and learned from these far more than simply understanding the concepts being illustrated.
Second, it is important to highlight that courage is rarely developed without some form of external assistance. The book may acquaint executives with the concepts and process to develop team and organisational courage, yet I would argue that it does not provide in itself, the tools for most executive teams to achieve the level of courage they desire. That is a journey which is best taken with the help of a guide - such as the authors.
Overall, certainly a worthwhile read.