Most leadership trainings are about teaching ideas, sharing best practices, and increasing knowledge. But successful people rarely become better leaders because they know more. They become better leaders because they follow through on what they know. That follow-through requires “emotional courage” — willingness to feel the feelings that come when we take risks and break old patterns. That courage is essential in managing people effectively to build bridges, raise and address hard issues, and handle opposition. How do you get emotional courage? You don’t learn it by listening to a lecture. Even role plays don’t quite do the trick because the feelings aren’t there. The best way is to practice in situations where the perceived risk is much higher than the actual risk.