What is Personal Courage in Health and Social Care?

Personal courage in health and social care means having the strength to act for the benefit of others, even when it is difficult, daunting, or personally challenging. This form of courage is not just about following rules or upholding professional standards. It comes from personal values and the willingness to do what is right—even when it means facing judgment, taking personal risks, or admitting vulnerabilities.

Personal courage is a quality that helps staff build meaningful relationships, provide compassionate support, and bring the best version of themselves to their roles. It involves being true to yourself and acting with honesty, empathy, and integrity.

Why Personal Courage is So Important

Caring for others can test anyone’s emotional, mental, and physical limits. The work involves exposure to distressing situations, moral decisions, and moments of uncertainty. Personal courage helps staff:

• Speak up about their own needs and boundaries
• Admit uncertainty or ask for help
• Accept when emotions become overwhelming
• Face new or unfamiliar situations with openness
• Support people in crisis while managing their own feelings

Personal courage encourages people to act authentically and honestly, which inspires confidence in others. It lets staff stay connected to why they work in care and reminds them that caring for themselves is as important as caring for others.

Examples of Personal Courage in Everyday Work

Personal courage appears in both big and small moments. These might include:

• Admitting you don’t know the answer and seeking advice
• Owning up to a mistake, even if it is embarrassing or uncomfortable
• Disclosing when feeling burnt-out or needing a break
• Asking questions about care plans or decisions, even if others disagree
• Sharing constructive feedback with a manager
• Being open about fears or triggers that affect your work

Each act shows a willingness to be vulnerable and prioritise wellbeing—for yourself, the team, and the people in your care.

Facing Fears and Uncertainty

Working in health and social care often brings worries about letting people down, making mistakes, or confronting other people’s distress.

Courage is not the absence of fear but facing it and choosing positive action. For example:

• Supporting someone who is dying, even though it brings up your own feelings
• Working with people with mental health needs when you do not have much experience
• Cultural, religious, or language differences that may cause uncertainty

Through these experiences, staff grow in personal strength while providing better, more respectful care.

Admitting Mistakes and Learning from Them

No-one is perfect. Mistakes are part of working with people, processes, and emotions. Personal courage makes it easier to accept responsibility, apologise, and learn rather than hide errors or blame others.

Key steps in such situations:

• Acknowledge the error openly and honestly
• Inform the right person at the right time
• Discuss what needs to happen next, including apologies
• Think about what could change to prevent it happening again

This builds trust with colleagues and people who use the service as it shows genuine accountability.

Asking for Help

Many people feel pressure to appear strong or all-knowing, but real strength lies in admitting when support is needed.

Ways personal courage shows up in asking for help:

• Reaching out to colleagues or managers when struggling
• Seeking mental health or wellbeing support
• Talking about difficult feelings in supervision
• Asking for more training to fill knowledge gaps

Asking for help protects both yourself and the people you support.

Setting Boundaries

Health and social care staff often put others’ needs before their own. Personal courage involves setting healthy boundaries, such as:

• Saying “no” to requests that will harm your wellbeing
• Taking regular breaks
• Speaking up if tasks fall outside your role or capability
• Refusing to work in unsafe conditions

Clear boundaries protect you from exhaustion and help maintain high standards of care.

Standing up to Negative Attitudes

Prejudice, discrimination, and bullying still occur in some workplaces. Personal courage means:

• Challenging offensive language or behaviour
• Standing up for people targeted unfairly
• Reporting incidents, even if it makes you unpopular

Taking action shows respect for everyone and helps change workplace culture for the better.

Being Honest About Your Emotions

Health and social care environments can bring out strong emotions—sadness, pride, anger, hope, fear, or joy. Trying to suppress these emotions may lead to burnout or mistakes. Personal courage helps staff:

• Accept and express their true feelings safely
• Discuss emotions in reflective practice or with trusted colleagues
• Support others to talk about their emotional experiences

Honesty about emotions leads to a healthier and more genuine care environment.

Building Resilience Through Personal Courage

Resilience means being able to recover from setbacks and adapt during tough times. Personal courage helps staff:

• Keep going after a difficult day
• Face change with flexibility
• Use setbacks as chances to grow
• Share experiences with others to learn together

Every act of courage, no matter how small, adds to overall resilience.

Encouraging Personal Courage in Teams

When teams respect personal courage, the whole organisation benefits. Teams can encourage courage by:

• Valuing staff for honesty and openness
• Creating safe spaces to share worries or experiences
• Celebrating people who take positive risks
• Providing regular reflective sessions
• Respecting all voices, no matter the job title

A team built on trust and support helps everyone show more courage day by day.

Professional and Personal Courage—Working Together

Personal courage, professional courage, and emotional courage all overlap. For example, admitting a lack of knowledge requires personal courage; raising concerns about practice requires professional courage; and supporting someone’s distress requires emotional courage.

All three types support high standards of care, safer services, and healthier workplaces.

Barriers to Personal Courage

Some things make it hard to be personally courageous, such as:

• Fear of losing your job or damaging relationships
• Worry about being seen as weak or unfit for the role
• Workplace culture that discourages open communication
• Personal habits of putting others first at all costs

Recognising these barriers means you can take steps to overcome them.

Steps to Strengthen Personal Courage

Personal courage can grow and develop with practice. Strategies to help include:

• Pause and reflect before reacting to situations
• Practice honest communication in small steps
• Seek feedback on how you handle tricky situations
• Learn from colleagues who model courage
• Build self-care into your daily routine

Support from colleagues and supervisors matters—everyone can benefit from encouragement and understanding.

The Impact of Personal Courage

For staff, showing personal courage leads to:

• Higher job satisfaction
• Better wellbeing and mental health
• Stronger working relationships
• More confidence to face new challenges

People who use health and social care services benefit from:

• Staff who are honest and authentic
• Stronger trust, leading to better outcomes
• A more person-centred approach to care

Good Practice for Demonstrating Personal Courage

Actions that show personal courage include:

• Reflecting on your strengths and limitations
• Acting with kindness, even when emotions are tough
• Speaking up to protect your own or others’ rights
• Treating yourself with the same compassion you show to others

Commitment to these actions creates a work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and safe.

What Personal Courage is Not

To clear up misunderstandings:

• Personal courage is not acting without fear or doubt; it is acting despite fear or doubt.
• It does not mean ignoring rules or professional standards.
• It is not about being outspoken for attention—it is about respecting everyone, including yourself.
• It does not require you to handle everything alone.

Final Thoughts

Personal courage in health and social care is about honesty, vulnerability, and doing what is right—even when it is hard. It helps you care for others and yourself, strengthens your resilience, and brings purpose to your work. This courage can be learned and strengthened, supported by colleagues, teams, and a healthy workplace culture. Through personal courage, everyone contributes to a more compassionate, respectful, and safe care environment.