Courageous Leadership By Rosa Isiah “We have to be engaged at the heart level in order to be courageous champions.” -Margaret Wheatley When I decided to enter the world of educational leadership, I underestimated the value of courage. I was enthusiastic and somewhat naïve about my role as a school leader. Within weeks of my new leadership journey, I immediately learned that I needed to deal with difficult situations that I didn’t feel prepared for. We explored challenging leadership scenarios in my administrative credential coursework, but nothing compared to the daily decisions that required deep reflection, courage, and soul searching. My first year was full of opportunities to practice reflection and courageous leadership. Those opportunities included having difficult conversations and supporting team members who needed a boost. The educator who couldn’t find the courage to raise expectations for students, and not raise her voice. The parent who had good intentio