- By Charles Miller
Courage, in my opinion, is not the absence of fear, but the ability to confront it.
It’s about acting with grit and perseverance, having self-confidence in the midst of uncertainty.
The core of courage is pressing toward our goals, unclear in what that entails in that moment, but backing ourselves to get it done.
In times of uncertainty, when we do not see the full picture, and when fear builds in our belly, that is when courageous leadership gets you through.
This has been clearly demonstrated by Crimson Education.
Founded in 2013 in Auckland, by Jamie Beaton, Fangzhou Jiang, and Sharndre Kushor, the company has disrupted and transformed the way students access admission to elite universities.
From the get-go Crimson’s leadership acted with bravery and momentum, challenging traditional education models, and working to open up education opportunities that had long been out of reach for ‘normal’ people.
Their services range from tailored preparation for tertiary education, university selection and application assistance, and even an innovative online high school to bridge knowledge and confidence gaps.
Today they operate in 13 key markets, with 30 offices globally, and boast a company valuation of $1 billion.
The journey was not always plain sailing. The company faced significant legal challenges, including litigation and copyright issues.
Undeterred, the founders faced these setbacks head-on and with integrity, continuously improving their approach and treating challenges as learnings.
Their vision, agility, drive and, yes, courage have positioned Crimson as a leader in this competitive EdTech sector.
In contrast, the story of Eastman Kodak is a sobering counterbalance, an example of what happens in the absence of courageous management.
Despite inventing the first digital camera in 1975, Kodak hesitated to fully embrace digital photography.
As a result of leadership holding too tightly to their comfortable and cash-rich legacy business (even though it was mortally threatened), their Golden Goose went into steep decline and perished.
By the time Kodak did react, it was too late. The company restructured dramatically and now operates on a very much smaller scale, focusing on niche print related and technology markets.
In hindsight, Kodak’s tardiness to face the brutal reality of shifting technology and its inability to throw its legacy business model under the bus sealed its digital photography fate.
The comparison is stark. Crimson’s founders showed courage, embraced fear, took risks, and challenged the status quo, enabling them to thrive in a fast-changing world.
Kodak, on the other hand, tried to prolong its historical cash flow despite massive technological disruption.
The brutal trap is that Crimson had everything to gain, and Kodak a lot to lose, but perhaps they did not believe they would lose it anyway.
If your operation or product is being challenged by external technological or environmental shifts, and you’re unwilling to throw your current operating model under the bus and reinvent your business, you may well end up on a slippery slope.
Courage in business is not optional – it’s essential for survival and success.
