The Importance of Courage

I’ve just finished a day of meetings kicking off the strategic planning process with The Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson. This is a stunning, state-of-the-art facility that has been in existence for a mere two years since opening. It was birthed as the signature focus of the Junior League in Jackson and is an audacious act of focus, generosity, and strategic commitment to the youth of Mississippi.

I leave the campus today completely inspired. The state of Mississippi has long shored up the bottom of the list in educational attainment, literacy rates, and obesity. The citizens of Mississippi know and understand the challenges the youth of the state face in structural poverty. Yet, they are taking courageous efforts to bring a new life to the education of kids, building a campus and facility that would make Apple blush over design and sensory envy and are focused on widening the impact of their programs.

I’m inspired by organizations that behave, not just talk, with courage. It takes courage to change structural challenges. It takes courage to bite off a BHAG of a vision. And, it takes courage to execute flawlessly on that vision. After all, it takes courage to inspire others.

My advice? Make your plan courageous. Do the things you know in your heart you should do. Make courage a foundational element in your strategic plan.