Meaningful change requires courage

Paul Volcker, Federal Reserve Chairman, 1979-1987. He raised rates to break inflation and was hated for it, until he was proven right.

"Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed unconventionally."

It's one of my favorite quotes, from John Maynard Keynes.

Keynes could have been writing about corporate life.

I have seen bad decisions go unchallenged because everyone agreed, because they sounded okay, because they ticked the boxes. And conversely, great, visionary ideas face fierce resistance because they threatened established practices, comfortable positions or simply people's egos.

Most people believe that the safest career strategy is to follow the crowd. If things go wrong, nobody can really blame you. Everyone else thought the same.

But that's not leadership.

One of the most important lessons I have learned in my career is that meaningful change requires courage. The courage to challenge conventional wisdom, make unpopular decisions and stand by what you believe is right, even when it ruffles feathers.

Of course, you need to listen, question your assumptions and admit when you're wrong. But listening doesn't mean settling for the lowest common denominator. And consensus is not a substitute for vision and conviction.

In every organization I have led since my first CEO role, the decisions I am proudest of were the ones most contested at the time. Looking back, my biggest successes came from exactly that: clarity of vision, the courage to act on it, and teams who achieved more than they thought possible once they believed in it too.

I've learned to accept the discomfort that comes with it. It has been worth it.

Pierre Le Manh, Founder and Principal, NeuronVentures