January 17, 2023
Courage Beyond Bravery
Watch this 2 minute video to learn how to be courageous in civic situations.
There’s a particular type of courage that’s absolutely essential for anyone in a position of community leadership or who is responsible for gathering consensus among a diverse group of people. It's the courage to be open-minded - the willingness to say "Tell Me More" and be genuinely interested in what follows, even if you disagree with it.
In my
FROM CONFLICT TO CONVERSATION
presentation, I challenge community leaders to bring that specific type of courage to their community interactions.
Optimism is not the first quality many people associate with public office. It is, however, the quality that defines Trustee Maiaika Velazquez.
In local government, you can feel it when it arrives. Speeches at council or board meetings grow sharper. Social media clips get shorter and more theatrical. Questions from the dais sometimes sound less like inquiry and more like messaging. The focus can shift from working with colleagues to signaling to voters.
A Fallbrook school board leader shares lessons on moving from nonprofit service to public governance, emphasizing civility, trust, and long-term community impact.