Kyle Hermans is the CEO and co-founder of Be Courageous, a globally recognized business consultancy that helps ambitious leaders and brands grow and transform. They do this through improving company culture, strategy, innovation, technology, research, and ESG/SDG. Kyle has led transformation initiatives for hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies and startups throughout his distinguished career. He is a faculty member at Singularity University and a guest lecturer at several prestigious institutions such as Berkeley, USC, and UCLA. Kyle joins Barry O’Reilly to explore the concept of courage, the necessity of unlearning and relearning, and how these ideas have shaped his personal and professional life.

A Long Way From Home

Kyle's father bought him a one-way ticket from his native South Africa to the Netherlands, where he experienced a big culture shock. This was his first encounter with the idea of courage and unlearning. In the Netherlands, everything was different and he had to forget his old ideas about the world. He said, "Everything I ever thought about my reality [was] just gone.” After adjusting to his new life, Kyle got different jobs in business, including consulting and being an executive at design agencies. But he found out that his energetic personality and quick ambition didn't match the usual corporate way of working. This led to his decision to make his own way to fully reach his potential, which he calls his “Schiphol Moment”. This decision led him to his current job at Be Courageous. There, he explores courage, creativity, and transformative leadership in professional situations.

Courage is Creativity

Kyle’s connection to the notion of courage began while working at an innovation agency called Synectics, which heavily influenced the origins of design thinking. He used the quote, “Another word for creativity is courage” in hundreds of workshops around the world. This quote resonated with Kyle, encouraging him to seek out his 'Schiphol moments'—intentionally placing himself in unfamiliar environments to shock the system and trigger growth. “The pursuit of courage is staying humble,” he shares, “I'm not going to get too trapped by the things I've done or be too defined by where I've been.” Kyle believes that everyone harbors an unexpressed idea or dream within them, the pursuit of which demands a great deal of courage, particularly in hostile, difficult, and vulnerable conditions. Showing up to transformative experiences and attempting to effect change within successful organizations is an act of courage in itself, according to Barry, given the immense pressure to conform to pre-existing systems. “Creation is actual courageousness,” he remarks.

Courage Is Not the Absence of Fear

Kyle believes that courage is a quality that everyone can choose to have, not just a mental trait. He says, "Where there is fear, there is courage, and where there is courage, there is fear." He emphasizes that fear and courage are linked, and people often forget that courage can be found when facing fear and self-doubt. He asks, "What's the courage needed in this moment?" Recognizing the courage needed to beat fear is often the start of becoming brave. Kyle talks about being intentional, having a purpose, being curious and open, taking risks, and being selfless. He emphasizes that these qualities come out when people decide to confront their fears and tackle challenges directly. These traits enable people to take responsibility, direct their actions, and embrace the unknown. Most notably, he mentions, "The fastest way to bring courage into your world is to accept what is."

Looking Ahead

Kyle reminds listeners of the bridge between courage and unlearning. “We must unlearn that fear is the only way to design our lives,” and choose to see life through a lens of courage instead, he shares.

Resources

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