I´m experiencing the classic after effects of the wrap-up of a major project. Our 4th annual conference occurred last week. It was amazing, and intense! We had a tremendous line up of keynote speakers, terrific workshops from seasoned HR professionals, and interesting discussions. The list goes on...

What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to be in the company of many very wise and compassionate people, and to reflect on some lasting principles of organizational and leadership success.

There were several common threads that ran across all of the keynote messages. One of these common threads was courage. David Whyte spoke of the need for each of us to be willing to engage in conversation in which we do not know the answer - to be willing to step into those frontier places and simply start the process. Jim Collins talked of the need for leaders to be willing to admit they don´t know all the answers and to then go about the work of finding out by asking great questions.

Ann Rhoades talked of the need to have the courage to hold out for the best talent and to then do the right thing, even if it´s not standard protocol. She gave some powerful examples of how HR leaders can build great organizations through unconventional approaches like those used by Southwest Airlines and JetBlue.

Courage. I googled the term only to find that its antonym is ´afraid.´ I find that difficult to believe. It seems to me that we often have fear in the midst of taking courageous steps. What makes an act courageous, it seems to me, is that we do it anyway.

So, how might we help support acts of courage in our leaders and developing leaders? How do we invite them to have the courage to admit they are in a place of not knowing - to lead by asking great questions versus feeling compelled to know it all? How do we help them enter into those discussions that need to be had, despite their awkwardness and unknown qualities? If you've had experience with courage building, and you're willing to share your insights, please email me at kelmhirst@hr.com. I'll be nearby, recovering from last week and singing the post-conference blues.