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(Just above this post is a PDF of the Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King.)

While attending Harvard Business School, I saw many examples of courageous leadership.   Entrepreneurs need courage.  Politicians need courage.  What is interesting to me is that leadership is fundamentally defined by having the courage to express your views - despite opposition, despite fear, despite overwhelming odds.   It is courage that defines leadership. 

One of the best illustrations of expressing courage is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail.   It is very difficult to appreciate the context for his arrest, the violence and unrest that surrounded him - yet his letter captures so many complex emotions, speaks about enduring values and illustrates the courage that is needed by anyone who assumes the mantel of real leadership.  

Do yourself a favor and take the time to read Letter from Birmingham Jail - which he wrote in 1963.   Take from it what you will, but I think it should inspire each of us to find courage to give voice to the values we know to be true.