Why Courage Is the Most Important Quality in a Manager
20 October 2025
When I was a young manager, I went to my first management course.
I walked in to find the facilitator with his back to us, writing one word on the whiteboard: COURAGE.
We spent the day in lectures, and he never mentioned the word once. Naturally, we were curious…
At the end of the day, he said: “Go back to your workplace and fire someone.”
We were stunned. But the next morning, none of us had done it. He asked, “Did you fire anyone?” Silence. Then he explained:
“This task isn’t about firing anyone. It’s about courage. If you don’t have the courage to take tough decisions - even unpopular ones - you don’t have the courage to be a manager. Your first responsibility is to your company.”
I’ve never forgotten those words. Today, I still believe:
If you’re hiring or promoting managers, courage comes first.
Everything else - ommunication, strategic thinking, technical skills - comes after.
A manager without courage avoids tough decisions, accountability, and discipline.
Make COURAGE the cornerstone of your management development program.
Question for you: How do you assess courage when developing or hiring managers?
Written by Mark Deavall
If you would like to talk to me, please call me on +2782 465 5481 or email me on markd@markdeavall.com
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