Courage Over Fear
Harness the Power of Agency to Lead in Uncertain Times
A lesson-filled guide to leading during turbulent eras of fear and division, Courage Over Fear is filled with actionable advice.
Drawing on their experience as military and corporate consultants, Kristen Kavanaugh and Mike Randolph’s philosophical leadership guide Courage Over Fear champions values like integrity and confidence, even during challenging times.
Encouraging leaders to exert agency and effect change amid uncertainty and in the face of political polarization and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the book both outlines a framework for leading with authenticity and facilitating growth and shares generalized advice on courageous leadership in periods of uncertainty. It is organized by theme, its chapters zooming in on topics including agency, innovation, and uncertainty and expatiating at length on their ideas. It extracts meaning from personal stories, too, as of an unexpected firing that taught Randolph how to learn from failures, and about how Kavanaugh’s DEI work with the US Department of Defense was derailed after the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion was disbanded.
The book’s tone is objective and its approach is academic, alternating between conversational storytelling and dry instruction on subjects including communication and navigating privilege. While its personal stories are compelling throughout, it becomes overly didactic in covering the principles of its leadership framework. Still, ample context is provided throughout, as with explanations of how globalization, social pushback, and evolving cultural dynamics created a resistance loop against DEI efforts.
The book’s analyses are thoughtful and piquing, proffering insights such as that growth seldom follows a straight path—it is a cycle in which each iteration is better than the past. Some of its takeaways have a clichéd quality, though, as with notes that the path is the destination and that personal identity is the true expression of the self.
Bullet-point lists recapitulate key messages throughout, but they are somewhat redundant. The book’s questions to the audience have a similar effect. And its visual aids, such as a drawing of a spiral to illustrate the idea of leadership development, also add too little. Nonetheless, the book’s vision for leadership during troubled times is coherent, and its conceptual framework is clear—ready to be emulated in any workplace or field. Further, its closing call to action is concise and impactful.
A thoughtful leadership guide, Courage Over Fear is about maintaining integrity and grit in the face of uncertainty and turmoil.
Reviewed by
Joseph S. Pete
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
