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Courage

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam Posted by Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Managing Director, Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



A philosophy professor well known for his academic rigor knew his students expected a terrifyingly long final exam.
A philosophy professor well known for his academic rigor knew his students expected a terrifyingly long final exam. To play with their minds a little (but also to challenge them to think), he only put ONE question on the final exam.
 
He watched the reactions of the students as they all opened the exams and saw the one question. Initially they all looked relieved, but as the difficulty of the question began to sink in, those relieved faces sagged to confusion and consternation. All, that is, except for one student. He read the question, tapped his pencil into his palm a few times, then jotted something down on the test paper. He walked up to the professor, handed him the final, and walked out without a word.The professor blinked in surprise, looked at what the student wrote, and smiled. The student had aced the test.

The sole question on the exam sheet: "What is courage?"

The student's answer: "This is."


Moral of the Story: Real courage always carries a large element of risk.

Related Books

Courageous Training
Courageous Training

Bold Actions for Business Results

By Timothy P. Mooney, Robert O. Brinkerhoff
The Courageous Follower
The Courageous Follower

Standing Up to and For Our Leaders

By Ira Chaleff

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