WHAT IS MORAL COURAGE?

Moral courage is the behavioral expression of authenticity in the face of discomfort of

dissension, disapproval, or rejection.

Building an organizational culture and community that encourages better leadership

practices and prevents bad leadership actions requires moral courage. Moral courage

begins with training and conversations on how to foster and enliven it. From here, it

continues through actions that encourage honesty and how to work through

disagreements to gain better decisions.

Moral courage empowers good leadership, and it challenges and, potentially, prevents

bad leadership. Moral courage and good leadership pair well together. Now, it is our

responsibility to find our inner moral courage and express it diligently and respectfully in

our work and community.

Moral courage is the courage to take action for moral reasons despite the risk of

adverse consequences.

Courage is required to take action when one has doubts or fears about the

consequences. Moral courage therefore involves deliberation or careful thought. Reflex

action or dogmatic fanaticism do not involve moral courage because such impulsive

actions are not based upon moral reasoning.

Moral courage may also require physical courage when the consequences

are punishment or other bodily peril.

Moral courage has been seen as the exemplary modernist form of courage.
means doing the right thing even at the risk of inconvenience, ridicule, punishment, loss

of job or security or social status, etc. Moral courage requires that we rise above the

apathy, complacency, hatred, cynicism, and fear-mongering in our political systems,

socioeconomic divisions, and cultural/religious differences. For parents, it frequently

requires us to put aside compelling but momentary pleasures or comforts in order to set

a good example for our children and be the parents we aspire to be. Doing the right

thing means listening to our conscience, that quiet voice within. Ignoring that voice can

lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt and diminished personal integrity. Moral courage

requires us to make judgments about what actions or behaviors are supportive of our

highest ideals, and which ones are destructive. It asks us to recognize our

responsibilities and see the consequences of our own actions. Moral courage is seen in

individuals who, when they uncover an ethical dilemma, explore a course of action

based on their ethical values, and follow through with a decision as to the right course of

action regardless of the possible consequences this course of action might present.

Moral courage generally occurs when individuals with high ethical standards face acute

or recurring pressures to act in a way that conflicts with their values .