How Do We Distinguish Between Bravery and Courage?

Today, we celebrate those veterans of our armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we experience today. And let’s face it, one day of honoring these men and women for their service is not nearly enough. General George S. Patton once said, “We make a slight mistake honoring these men and women in death, and instead we should thank God they lived.” We celebrate their bravery and their unselfishness, but we also celebrate their mental toughness. Their willingness to place their country’s needs ahead of their own is a remarkable trait and one we should all hold dear. 

As leaders, we tend to confuse bravery with courage, even though in a thesaurus, the words seem interchangeable. Philosophically, the two nouns differ in meaning. Courage involves the presence of fear, while bravery never acknowledges any fear or hesitations. Courage entails a cause, most commonly love, passion, compassion, and concern. Bravery maintains its essence even without a cause. Courage is a result of mindfulness. It is one’s decision to fight despite one’s fears. Bravery is an inherent characteristic. It doesn’t involve much thinking and manifests itself as second nature in those who possess it.

As leaders, we need to understand the difference. We need to fuel courage with our ability to inspire. Bravery, conversely, maintains its essence even without motivation. Naturally-brave people don’t require speeches or slogans. Their trait is a part of their natural DNA. Often as leaders, we might wonder why some require pep talks and others don’t. It’s because we don’t always completely understand the people we lead. Because of our willingness to lump bravery and courage into the same category, we become frustrated with those who need constant motivation, as opposed to others who work effortlessly with no maintenance required. It’s not the fault of the people we lead, rather the incorrect labels we place on them. Once we separate the two, it becomes clear how we must handle them differently. 

Today, as we honor those brave men and women, take time to think of those you lead, and make sure you understand bravery and courage. 

Here at The Daily Coach, we honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, like Air Force Combat Controller Mark Andrew Forester, who died Sept. 29, 2010, in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations in the area. His brother, Thad, wrote an incredible book honoring the life of Mark, called “My Brother In Arms.”

Enjoy Memorial Day.    

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends My Brother in Arms: The Exceptional Life of Mark Andrew Forester, United States Air Force Combat Controller by Thad Forester. This book is not a memorial in print, but a biography for continuing Mark's legacy of perseverance, determination and accomplishing our missions on earth. We each have different missions, but what's important is for us to recognize ours and work to accomplish it.

Please forward and share this email with your friends and family.