This Week’s Match: Courage
Let’s light the Match!
Word: Courage
Sentence:
Courage is leading from conviction instead of comfort.
Passage:
In life and leadership you will always be tempted toward comfort. It’s easier to stay quiet, to avoid conflict, or to accept things as they are. But courage means choosing conviction instead.
For me, one of the hardest places to lead with courage was around expectations for kids. When the bar is set low, raising it feels like pushing against gravity. It means asking teachers to believe more, try more, risk more, and knowing they might resist. It means telling students they’re capable of more, even when they’ve been told the opposite for years.
That kind of leadership is not easy. But when we choose conviction over comfort, we give others permission to do the same. And little by little, courage spreads until what once felt impossible becomes the new reality.
Your Turn:
What if you chose courage over comfort today, what would change?
Join me in this conversation at chadhthomas.com
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11 Comments
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11 Comments
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on September 5, 2025 at 6:33 am
I love this. And I love that I get this spark of fire to encourage the leader’s heart!!! Chad, you stay giving out the good stuff. Thank you and keep it up 😉
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on September 5, 2025 at 7:08 am
Thanks Tanyelle, you have that fire inside of you! Hustler for kids! Thanks for leading with courage as a principal and now as you support school leaders!
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on September 5, 2025 at 7:13 am
Courage means choosing conviction. That’s a good word to carry with today… thanks Chad!
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You’re welcome Ted! That conviction shows up in the daily decisions we make as leaders, how we respond to the naysayers and it can make others feel uncomfortable because it sits inside truth.
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on September 5, 2025 at 7:38 am
This message comes at a particularly meaningful time for me. As I navigate changes in my own path – including major life transitions and uncertainty about what’s ahead – this reminds me that courage means staying committed to my values even when the way forward isn’t completely clear yet.
The passage’s point about choosing conviction over comfort resonates deeply, especially as our communities grapple with political division and threats to human rights and dignity. It’s easy to wait until everything feels settled or certain before taking a stand, but I think there will not be a feeling of being settled or stable in these times – which makes it even more important to take courageous actions now. Whether it’s in how we raise the next generation to think critically and be inclusive upstanders, or in the professional choices we make, we have opportunities every day to resist complacency and stand up for what’s right.
If I chose courage over comfort today, what would change? I’d stop waiting for the “perfect moment” or the “right circumstances” to fully live out my values and use my skills and resources to support those whose rights are being threatened. The question isn’t whether I’ll face moments requiring courage – it’s whether I’ll be ready to choose conviction over comfort when those moments come.
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I really appreciate you taking the time to share this with me. You’re right, if we wait for things to feel settled, we may never act, and that’s not the world we’re living in right now.
I also love how you connected this to raising the next generation and to the choices we make in our own professional lives. Courage doesn’t have to be huge or dramatic, it’s often those everyday decisions to stand up, speak up, or stay true to our values when it would be easier not to.
Stay Strong! Your Conviction will lead you to where you are supposed to be at the time you are supposed to be there.
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Thank you for the kind and thoughtful reply!
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on September 6, 2025 at 1:07 pm
Well said, Chad. Systems and mindsets rarely change unless those with influence and power are willing to act with both courage and love.
When I think about courage in leadership, especially in schools, your post reminded me that courage without coalition-building can feel isolating and often leads to frustration or change that comes across as fragmented to those asked to embrace it. But when leaders intentionally create space for others to step forward with the same resolve (conviction over comfort), momentum builds and meaningful, sustainable change accelerates.
One leader with courage can inspire. A team of leaders with courage can transform.
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Peter, that last line might be the best yet. It really does take a team of leaders to drive transformation. It’s rare to bring together that level of leadership in a school or district office, but when it happens, people can feel it. My guess is that most of us will only be part of a half-dozen truly transformative teams in our lifetime, so we need to make it count when that magic happens!
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on September 10, 2025 at 7:15 pm
The “courage” to show up every day despite it ALL. Serves as motivation and a model for others especially our scholars who might not often see a central office staff member but I make sure they SEE ME showing up for them. Yes! Courage!
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You’re right! Choosing comfort would mean not being seen in schools and showing up for kids. It’s easy to sit back and not show up, but it takes conviction to continue to show up for students each day.
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I love this. And I love that I get this spark of fire to encourage the leader’s heart!!! Chad, you stay giving out the good stuff. Thank you and keep it up 😉
Thanks Tanyelle, you have that fire inside of you! Hustler for kids! Thanks for leading with courage as a principal and now as you support school leaders!
Courage means choosing conviction. That’s a good word to carry with today… thanks Chad!
You’re welcome Ted! That conviction shows up in the daily decisions we make as leaders, how we respond to the naysayers and it can make others feel uncomfortable because it sits inside truth.
This message comes at a particularly meaningful time for me. As I navigate changes in my own path – including major life transitions and uncertainty about what’s ahead – this reminds me that courage means staying committed to my values even when the way forward isn’t completely clear yet.
The passage’s point about choosing conviction over comfort resonates deeply, especially as our communities grapple with political division and threats to human rights and dignity. It’s easy to wait until everything feels settled or certain before taking a stand, but I think there will not be a feeling of being settled or stable in these times – which makes it even more important to take courageous actions now. Whether it’s in how we raise the next generation to think critically and be inclusive upstanders, or in the professional choices we make, we have opportunities every day to resist complacency and stand up for what’s right.
If I chose courage over comfort today, what would change? I’d stop waiting for the “perfect moment” or the “right circumstances” to fully live out my values and use my skills and resources to support those whose rights are being threatened. The question isn’t whether I’ll face moments requiring courage – it’s whether I’ll be ready to choose conviction over comfort when those moments come.
I really appreciate you taking the time to share this with me. You’re right, if we wait for things to feel settled, we may never act, and that’s not the world we’re living in right now.
I also love how you connected this to raising the next generation and to the choices we make in our own professional lives. Courage doesn’t have to be huge or dramatic, it’s often those everyday decisions to stand up, speak up, or stay true to our values when it would be easier not to.
Stay Strong! Your Conviction will lead you to where you are supposed to be at the time you are supposed to be there.
Thank you for the kind and thoughtful reply!
Well said, Chad. Systems and mindsets rarely change unless those with influence and power are willing to act with both courage and love.
When I think about courage in leadership, especially in schools, your post reminded me that courage without coalition-building can feel isolating and often leads to frustration or change that comes across as fragmented to those asked to embrace it. But when leaders intentionally create space for others to step forward with the same resolve (conviction over comfort), momentum builds and meaningful, sustainable change accelerates.
One leader with courage can inspire. A team of leaders with courage can transform.
Peter, that last line might be the best yet. It really does take a team of leaders to drive transformation. It’s rare to bring together that level of leadership in a school or district office, but when it happens, people can feel it. My guess is that most of us will only be part of a half-dozen truly transformative teams in our lifetime, so we need to make it count when that magic happens!
The “courage” to show up every day despite it ALL. Serves as motivation and a model for others especially our scholars who might not often see a central office staff member but I make sure they SEE ME showing up for them. Yes! Courage!
You’re right! Choosing comfort would mean not being seen in schools and showing up for kids. It’s easy to sit back and not show up, but it takes conviction to continue to show up for students each day.