The real problem within organisations? A lack of courageous leadership
Many organisations develop a vision, strategy and long-term goals. And that’s great, because a clear direction is important. But the vision is rarely the problem. The real obstacle lies in what comes next: the courage to make choices that can be painful, and the guts to stick to those choices when things get uncomfortable. Simone Halink and Jurre van Gool share their perspective on courageous leadership in practice.
The vision that hurts no one
Imagine this: a management team setting out the strategy for the next three years. The atmosphere is positive, the ambitions are high. We’re going to strengthen our commercial strength. We’re going to explore new markets. We’re going to innovate. The picture of the future that emerges is one of optimism and ambition.
But what is not mentioned is just as telling. No one at the table asks: what are we actually going to do differently? Which product and which market will we focus on? And what will we stop doing? How do we need to organise ourselves differently? Which KPIs will we use to steer our course? The discussion says little about real choices and their consequences.
“That’s exactly the pattern we encounter,” says Simone. “It’s relatively easy to contribute ideas about what needs to be improved and expanded. But what do we do first, what will we not do, and what will we stop doing? Those choices are constantly being postponed.”
Vision is cheap; making real choices is expensive
Having a vision is safe. It’s about direction and abstractions, about broad perspectives that everyone can agree on. “This is where we want to go” sounds good in a strategy session. It has no impact on the people around the table and demands nothing of their behaviour.
Making choices with consequences takes courage. Courage to be honest about what needs to change or what isn’t working. To free up people and resources for a new target group. To challenge your communications team to embrace a different way of working. To say goodbye to an activity that people are attached to and which carries a lot of emotion.
Jurre: “Many leaders do make choices, but shy away from the consequences. Making the decision is one thing. But sticking to it when things get uncomfortable, when there is resistance, when people are angry or disappointed – that is what courage is all about. Courage isn’t in the decision, but in sticking to it.”
The pitfall of wishful thinking
So what actually happens? Wishful thinking. A sort of collective agreement not to voice the implications. “Everyone at the table actually knows,” says Simone. “If you choose option A, it will have consequences for department B. But making that explicit? That’s something people avoid. Very human, but also very risky.”
The result: the strategy remains vague enough to be acceptable to everyone. And thus too vague to be successfully implemented. Because when a colleague comes along with a brilliant idea that doesn’t fit with the chosen direction, who is going to say: “Guys, we’ve already made these choices, haven’t we?”
From vision to plan to action
Many leaders feel they need to be one hundred per cent certain that a decision is the right one before they take it. But such certainty does not exist. Nor is it the case that you can jump straight from a vision to implementation. In between lies a step that requires just as much courage: translating the direction into a concrete plan. What are we going to do, in what order, and what does that require of the organisation? That is when the consequences become apparent and the discussions become somewhat more uncomfortable.
Jurre: “We regularly see that the pressure to make the right decisions is so high that it has a paralysing effect. The fear of doing the wrong thing is greater than the will to move forward. Whereas the trick is: take a first step, see what happens, and then take the next one. You don’t need to know everything in advance. You have to start by doing.”
As long as you’re talking about visions, it’s safe. The moment you start making concrete plans and putting them into action, the consequences become apparent. That’s when things sometimes go wrong. But that’s precisely how progress is made.
Being allowed to be courageous
There is an important difference between being courageous and being allowed to be courageous. Courage is not just an individual trait. It is also something that an organisation can encourage—or, conversely, make impossible.
Simone: "For a director, it is a vulnerable position to put uncertainty on the table. As a leader, you cannot be indecisive. But you can create a process in which there is room for uncertainty. In which management team members and experts are allowed to challenge you. In which you analyse the situation together, think critically, and then say: given everything we know, what is the best decision? If you arrive at that conclusion together, you, as a director, can take the plunge and say: this is what we’re going for.”
So it’s not about a lone hero making courageous decisions. It’s about leadership that makes it possible to make courageous decisions together. Based on facts. With room for dissent in the process, and clarity in the decision.
What courageous leaders do differently
Simone: ‘A director we were coaching put it beautifully. When a problem lands on the management team’s agenda, the first question is: how are we ourselves contributing to this problem? Based on that answer, we explore what else is needed. The starting point is always that you yourself are part of the cause.’
That attitude characterises courageous leaders. They start with themselves. They have their facts in order, can explain their choices clearly and ensure that the chosen direction is actually followed, by making deviations discussable immediately.
Jurre: ‘Clear decisions are decisions that take you one step further each time. Not the perfect decision in one go, but rather by iteration. Today we’re making this decision because we think it’s the best one. We learn along the way, and if new facts emerge, we adjust. That’s not indecision. That’s realism.’
Write it down
One of the most underestimated steps in strategy execution is simply this: make clear choices and write down exactly what you have decided. Not in vague, high-level terms, but with such precision that it becomes uncomfortable.
Jurre: “If you write down your choices very clearly and make them visible, some people are taken aback. Oh yes, this is the choice we’re making and these are the specific consequences. People often know this deep down. But it’s easier to skirt around the issue and keep talking in abstract terms. The moment you write it down, there’s no escaping it.”
From vision to action
Coming up with a strategy is relatively easy. Implementing a strategy takes courage. The courage to make choices that are painful. The courage to stick to those choices when resistance arises. And the courage to start with yourself when things aren’t going to plan.
The good news: courage isn’t an innate trait. It’s something you can foster as an organisation. By creating a culture that allows room for doubt. By making decisions based on facts. By defining choices so clearly that no one can ignore them.
And by being willing to get started. Even if you’re not yet 100% sure where you’ll end up.
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Simone Halink and Jurre van Gool are consultants at Summiteers.