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CHAPTER 6: COURAGE AND MORAL LEADERSHIP 185

Believe in a Higher Purpose Courage comes easily when we fight for some-
thing we really believe in. Leaders who have a strong emotional commitment
to a larger vision or purpose fi nd the courage to step through fear. In 1968,
Eleanor Josaitis cofounded Focus: HOPE as a food program to
serve pregnant women, new mothers, and their children in
As a leader, you can fi nd your personal
Detroit. Soon realizing that hunger was just a symptom of a Action Memo
larger problem, she expanded the organization as a civil rights courage by committing to something
group to try to bridge the economic and racial divides in the city. you deeply believe in. You can welcome
Over the years, Josaitis has received tons of hate mail, had her of- potential failure as a means of growth and
fi ces fi rebombed, and been threatened regularly with bodily harm, development and build bonds of caring and
but it only makes her more determined. The higher purpose over- mutual support with family, friends, and
shadows concerns about her own self-interests. In business orga- colleagues to reduce fear.
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nizations, too, courage depends on belief a higher vision. Lawrence
Fish, chairman, president, and CEO of Citizens Bank, has built his
organization into the eighth largest commercial banking company
in the United States, but he says, “If we just make money, we’ll fail.”
Fish is known for his volunteer efforts and commitment to the community, and
his unconventional approach to operating a bank effi ciently but with heart
has created a banking powerhouse. In his career, Fish has experienced both
tremendous success and downright failure, but he has maintained the courage
to pursue a vision that business is as much about doing good in the world as it
is about making money. 67

Draw Strength from Others Caring about others and having support from
others is a potent source of courage in a topsy-turvy world. Love is a strong in-
gredient of courage, because it makes us willing to sacrifi ce. Consider a caring
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parent who will risk his or her own life to save a child. Leaders who genuinely
care about the people they work with will take risks to help those people grow
and succeed. Having the support of others is also a source of courage, and the
best leaders aren’t afraid to lean on others when they need to. People who feel
alone in the world take fewer risks because they have more to lose. Being part
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of an organizational team that is supportive and caring, or having a loving and
supportive family at home, can reduce the fear of failure and help people take
risks they otherwise wouldn’t take. Consider the example of Daniel Lynch, CEO
of ImClone. When he took over the top job, things were about as bad as they
could get. Founder Sam Waksal had been hauled off in handcuffs for alleged
insider trading, the fi nancial state of the company was in a shambles, and the
company’s application for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a
key cancer drug had just been rejected. Over a 2-year period, Lynch led a re-
markable turnaround by focusing on getting the fi nancial house in order, restor-
ing trust among employees, and getting approval for Erbitux, which he believed
could dramatically help people with colorectal cancer. Lynch didn’t hesitate to
tell people he needed their help, and managers and employees rose to the chal-
lenge. For 2 years, bad news just kept coming, but people pulled together and
kept pushing forward even though many of them said they sometimes felt like
running away. According to chief fi nancial offi cer Michael Howerton, the cama-
raderie that emerged as people struggled through the diffi culties together gave
them the courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how
bad things looked. 70

Welcome Failure Walt Disney, who had a business venture go bankrupt before
he went on to achieve major success, once said, “It’s important to have a good hard