Acts of Courage (in the Academic Workplace)
Note: This article was published in Vol. 6 of the Dragonfly Digital Diaries, published in June 2021 by Dragonfly Mental Health (the global consortium for academic mental health). You can read the original article here: Newsletter | Dragonfly Mental Health (note: links open in a new tab or window)
How do you define courage?
Think about it for a moment. Maybe even write it down for later.
The media, and other cultural dissemination outlets, tend to categorize courage as a lofty and, to the common man, out of reach virtue - one reserved for only those who have been deemed worthy. When we hear about great feats dubbed as “acts of courage”, they often demonstrate qualities like grit, determination, selflessness, and strength in a way that inspires us but seems unattainable. While I believe it is good to celebrate such great acts of courage, and allow them to influence the expectations we set for ourselves, I also believe it is just as important to celebrate the seemingly small acts of courage we experience in our daily lives. I have emphasized “seemingly small” because what is small to one person may be hugely significant to another. Several personal (human) factors influence how we interact with and respond during a situation, and whether we perceive our actions to be courageous. This is an important aspect to consider given that we have a tendency on many occasions to act and react based on regulations, expectations, and the need to please people to fit in or belong.
If you wonder how you can demonstrate courage in your day to day life, I recommend that you start by understanding vulnerability. Dr. Brené Brown defines vulnerability as a state of feeling uncertain, at risk, and emotionally exposed [1]. In other words, the act of being vulnerable is an act that introduces the nervous “butterflies in the stomach” feeling, that makes you overthink and second guess yourself. If you’re now wondering why you have to deal with vulnerability and feelings in a discussion on courage, don’t worry we’re on the right track. The answer is that vulnerability is in essence both a courageous step towards authenticity, and an authentic step towards finding your courage. Let me explain.
When you are put into a position that makes you feel vulnerable and at risk, such as when a choice or decision of yours is questioned, and you lean into that feeling, stand your ground, and argue your reasoning - you are finding your inner courage to do so. In this way, when vulnerability is thrust upon us, it presents a clear and authentic chance to be courageous and speak our truth. However, when we choose to be vulnerable without outside force - to put ourselves out there in a way that makes us feel emotionally exposed or uncertain of our reception but that is honest and true - we are taking a courageous step towards becoming our most authentic selves.
So, thought about that way, vulnerability can be a potent tool to unlock both our courage and our authenticity. If we lean into it instead of shying away from the discomfort, it can help us work through our insecurities and gives us the strength and courage to pursue excellence in our goals. Consequently, it makes us a bit more resilient and gives us the fortitude to be our true, more authentic self. If we step away from these opportunities to be courageous, however, it could instead make us a bit less resilient and a bit more uncertain of ourselves – remember that this doesn’t happen overnight, but over a period of time. Therefore, it is important to think of courage like a muscle and vulnerability as the exercise we use to build it. As Dr. Brown also suggests, the more you exercise it, i.e. allow yourself to be vulnerable or find your courage when in vulnerable situations, the more resilient and authentic we become.
Illustration credit: Katie Moody
In the academic workplace, we encounter several such moments of vulnerability and have numerous chances to find our inner courage each and every day. As such, it is important for us to acknowledge these acts of courage, be it in our own lives or in the lives others lead. Where are these moments of vulnerability and chances for courage you ask? In the act of learning itself which requires both the act of acknowledging that you do not know everything, an act of vulnerability, and the act of reaching out for help, an act of courage. By expressing the feeling of “I don’t know this concept” or “I’d like to learn so that I can make a meaningful contribution to this field” or “I’d like to learn how I can be better in my role”, the learner is leaning in to their vulnerability and stepping towards courage. In fact, I would say that asking “why” is one of the best examples of small acts of courage. The desire to know and question things is incredibly important for us to understand, incrementally improve, grow and work towards authenticity. I specifically use the term “learner” here, and not the many individual roles of student, postdoc, faculty or staff, because everyone in these roles are learners learning different aspects in their study and work.
Working together to normalize especially the acts of courage that require vulnerability is an important step towards ensuring our community is accepting of all the authentic diversity it holds. Acts such as:
Asking for help from peers, colleagues, and mentors
Asking for time so that you can learn and work at your own pace
Asking for and normalizing diverse teaching methods and methods of learning
Asking for acknowledgement of different perspectives and approaches to solving problems or understanding concepts
Asking for different interests and life experiences to be incorporated into the learning context
Most of all, prioritizing your mental and physical health.
This is not an exhaustive list, and there are so many more acts of courage, and I must acknowledge that I do not know them all. Every single one of these acts and more, is a valid act of courage. Try to identify acts of courage that we can normalize and engage with the community on social media to make it happen. We have a chance to learn from each other. We all experience things differently, and this diversity of experiences leads us to consider different acts as courageous, so what is easy for you, may have taken an act of courage from another. However, when we begin to reframe and to look at our own actions and the acts of others as courageous, it gives us the strength to accept each moment as part of our shared human experience.
As we work our way through this global pandemic towards whatever will be our new normal, we have to be intentional in creating structures to support the well-being of the individuals who make up academia. There are well-acknowledged structural issues in academia but the changes that are needed seem to be slow when compared to the ever changing needs of people in academia. This is precisely the reason why we need to normalize seeking help and other seemingly small acts of courage in our work lives.
I’ll leave you with something to think about and a call to action: Be vulnerable. Be courageous. Dare to be yourself. Ask for help when you need it.
If you are a faculty member, create supportive spaces - be it your labs or classroom, your students deserve a space to be courageous too, just like you. Create for your students the psychological safety to think big and fail and learn from failures. Question conventional norms of what is an “acceptable” piece of research or assignment. If you are an administrator, create supportive workspaces - your faculty & staff colleagues need psychological safety to dare to change academia, beyond the conventional (often toxic) norm of what it is. Dare to question what you do not understand; this is, after all, the first step towards learning and change. Most importantly, remember to pull others up with you. Everyone is on their own journey. Give them the space to find their courage at their own pace, at their own time. Your duty, as is the duty of all of us, is to be courageous and work to create pathways for everyone in academia to be courageous.
Acknowledgement
I’d like to thank Ruchama (Roo) Steinberg, PhD for her feedback for this article. Sincere thanks for your input and suggestions, Roo. Your feedback helped me convey the meaning of this article in a better way.
References
[1] Brown, B. (2012). Daring Greatly. New York: Gotham Books.
