For many years, the expression "showing managerial courage" has been very common. Evidently, throughout the years, everyone started having their own definition and interpretation. In practice, in my opinion, it is rather a notion that is subjective rather than objective, because of the perception of the parties involved, that is, the manager (who makes the decisions) and the employee (who is subject to the decisions).
When we ask employees what they look for in their manager, most of them answer that they are looking for someone who is not afraid to stand up and make decisions. Obviously, this means that the decisions made generally make some employees happy and others not. Despite this, the manager must show managerial courage and think of the well-being of the community and the company when making the decision, to ensure its success and sustainability while remaining fair to employees. It is a matter of balance!
Showing managerial courage means not to be afraid of making decisions, including those that may be unpopular. Showing managerial courage is not to be liked or to win a popularity contest. For example, a manager who does not give feedback to an underperforming employee in their areas to improve in order to not displease them thinks he/she is doing the right thing but is really taking the easy route. How many people have lost their jobs without understanding why they did not receive any feedback when it was time?
Nevertheless, making an unpopular decision does not mean not being empathetic (putting yourself in other people’s shoes) when faced with people and circumstances.
This said, there are no contradictions between managerial courage and employee participation in the decision-making process. During the decision-making process, it is forbidden for the manager to ask advice from close coworkers. On the contrary, showing managerial courage means knowing how to surround oneself with competent people who can be trusted and means listening to them and being happy to retain their ideas or recommendations. Conversely, be careful not to fall into the trap of seeking input from all for fear of not hurting someone who has not been consulted. In that case, not only uselessly extending the decision-making process, the decision made may possibly make more people upset than happy.
To conclude, showing managerial courage implies more than simply deciding. It needs a manager that assumes their role as leader, be an inspiring leader and not acting like a leader who makes decisions to not displease. Deciding and asserting oneself is the foundation of the role that a manager must have and is directly related to the definition of managerial courage.
Stéphane has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relation and is a member of the "Ordre des Conseillers en ressources humaines agrees". He worked in medium and large companies as a Director of Human Resources and Industrial Relations for over 20 years. In the past years, he redirected his practice and is now working at Bedard Resources for the past 5 years as a Director of HR Services-Consultation. His team members accompany different clients in terms of HR services consultation for professional and executive position recruitment.
