How Writing Can Help You Lead with Courage in an Uncertain World

Thanks to Elijah Macleod via Unsplash

One big challenge for leaders and all changemakers today is finding a way to be heard. This is true whether you lead a team, a family, or a classroom.

The voices competing for attention are mighty and getting more voluminous by the day. 

There is also the triggering effect of hot-button issues. Whether it’s the environment, economy, politics, technology, healthcare, immigration, education, or war, topics like these often trigger fear in the listener. And fear creates roadblocks that leaders must find skillful ways to navigate.  

But in efforts to drive missions forward through the power of words, one critically important opportunity is often overlooked, especially in these days of generative AI: namely, the benefit of writing to the leader himself or herself. 

Cultivating clarity and conviction are two of them. Less well-known are the health and emotional benefits that can be welcomed during these stressful times. 

All of this is true whether or not you are comfortable with writing, which I’ll get to. 

The Clarity Connection

Many famous authors can attest to the power of clarity that comes from writing (which, of course, doesn’t have to be made public to serve you.) 

Joan Didion, for example, wrote: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” Similar sentiments have been attributed to E. L. Doctorow, William Faulker, E. M. Forster, Stephen King, and Flannery O’Connor.

The Strengthening of Conviction 

We can also see evidence of how writing fuels the power of conviction in the life stories of some of the most influential leaders in history.  

The great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who taught himself to read and write, clearly understood the power of using his story to create change. He did this through the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and speeches that helped shift public opinion on slavery. 

But Douglass also used writing to strengthen his thinking and his conviction. 

“Douglass recognized that to make a big impact, he had to create his own moral, intellectual, and emotional infrastructure…,” the Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn writes In Forged in Crisis: The Making of Five Courageous Leaders.

“We can imagine it as a series of conversations he had with himself as he considered how he might affect broader events,” she continues. “These internal discussions formed the cornerstone of Douglass’s leadership, helping him make day-to-day choices, communicate his mission, and navigate through moments of doubt and despair.” 

Koehn’s conclusion: “All individuals who aspire to lead effectively must build their own foundation.”

The Health Benefits 

Research studies also show that writing about stressful, emotional, or even traumatic events significantly improves physical and psychological health.

These improvements resulted from writing for as little as 15 to 20 minutes on three to five occasions, according to a 2018 study published by Cambridge University Press. 

Your Comfort With Writing? 

As I mentioned in the video clip from a recent workshop, I long struggled with self-doubt about my writing. So have most of the clients I have worked with. It comes with the territory.

But working through this has been one of my life’s most powerful and rewarding experiences. And I love to help others do so – not only because of the clarity, conviction, and health benefits discussed here. I love this work because I know it fuels confidence and joy, which anyone leading with courage in our uncertain world deserves! 

Please reach out if your curiosity is piqued. I offer talks, workshops, and coaching.