The longer I study leadership or the lack of it in aw enforcement, the more I see identical issues in other professions. To be sure, law enforcement is not the only profession dealing with cowards and we can learn a lot from other industries as we build courageous leadership within our ranks.
There may be no better example of the repercussions in cowardice than the medical field as the life expectancy in the United States continues to decline. On a recent podcast with Tucker Carlson, Dr. Casey Means described how she was a Stanford-educated surgeon and walked away from the profession when she encountered cowardice at every corner.
She details how doctors were literally killing patients in the name of profit and while you would think there would be a line of courageous doctors following her, there wasn’t.
Carlson posed a question. to her that I have been studying for some time…Why you? What made you recognize the cowardice and set out to make a difference?
Why is Dr. Means one of the few courageous leaders in the medical field?
The Answer
But why Dr. Means and why you? Courageous Leadership is about values and Dr. Means described the inherent value taught to her by her parents as asking questions and thinking critically.
Can Courageous Leadership be Taught?
I have been borderline obsessive in recent years studying the what and why of courageous leadership. Why do leaders like Dr. Means exist while the masses stay silent?
I’ve been interviewing leaders for a few years now and many of them have been featured on our podcast but this has also culminated on huge sections in our seminar. Our findings tell us that there are certain characteristics and values that are inherent in courageous leaders.
They are different and that difference is taught and practiced.
The good news is that you aren’t born with these values. They are taught and that has been a huge shift in what we will be moving towards in the months and years to come.
I hope to see you on this journey…
Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance.
Why Is Courage So Rare?