Courage lies at the heart of other virtues, and as such should be relevant for many behaviors in individuals’ lives. Yet in the management and leadership literature, there is an overwhelming focus on the role of heroic courage in directing moral and ethical behavior in organizations and coping in situations in which values are challenged. We propose a broader definition of courage that reflects how everyday forms of courage capture the more prevalent – and potentially more important – impact of courage on behavior in personal, relational, and organizational domains. Ranging from a willingness to pursue risky “stretch goals” and accept and learn from failure, everyday courage is critical for today’s organizational and societal challenges.

University Professor of Leadership & Director of Behavioral Science and Policy Center, Sim Sitkin’s research focuses on leadership and control systems and their influence on how organizations and their members become more or less capable of change and innovation. He has published extensively in leading scholarly journals as well as translation publications. He is widely known for his research on the effect of formal and informal organizational control systems and leadership on risk-taking, accountability, trust, learning, M&A processes, and innovation.  His most recent books are Organizational Control (2010), TheSix Domains of Leadership (2016) and Routledge Companion to Trust (2017).