The Seven Acts of Courage

The Seven Acts of Courage: Bold Leadership for a Wholehearted Life This self-help book deals once again with the emptiness in people’s lives, even if their careers are flourishing. In this book, Robert E. Staub, II, a marital and family therapist, as well as author of The Heart of Leadership, discusses seven specific acts of courage that can lead to a happier life. They are the courage to dream and put forth that dream, to see current reality, to confront, to be confronted, to learn and grow, to be vulnerable and the courage to act. The courage is not to be found in one great heroic act, but in taking action every day based on what you believe is right, facing reality with conviction and learning when to persist in the fact of doubts, fears and when to take a new approach. • Two themes are wholehearted leadership, the critical balancing act of delivering results, while developing desired relationships and practicing the courage to become wholehearted leaders.

I have a daring proposition for you: What you seek is also seeking you. Your life really matters. Who you are and what you are is precious and priceless, and you offer the world gifts it has never had before. You have within you vast potential and unique talents that yearn for expression, and for which the world around you hungers. You also have great power to exert. For example, whenever you change, the world around you also changes. You make a difference by realizing that you are the difference, and that you are needed. This realization places you on the pathway not only to giving the world what it needs, but to fulfilling your greatest dreams. You can make that difference—and your life—a powerful and positive force— but to walk this pathway and persist in it requires courage.

Dusty has for over 40 years, trained, consulted and coached executives and executive teams in creating high performance outcomes. His work with senior leadership teams spans international boundaries, helping successful teams around the world to step up to higher levels of transparency, collaboration, leadership engagement, change management, cultural transformation and innovation. Dusty is the author of The Heart of Leadership: Twelve Practices of Courageous Leaders, released in an updated, revised edition in paperback and The Seven Acts of Courage: Bold Leadership for a Wholehearted Life, also released in paperback. Dusty is a fellow in the School of Engineering at VA Tech., and received his Masters of Clinical Social Work in Marital and Family Therapy and Systems from UNC Chapel Hill. He has served as Executive Director and Clinical Director of several Crisis Centers, run a Psychotherapy Practices, been Head of Leadership Development for Farr Associates and founded Staub Leadership twenty-five years ago.