Bravery is about making difficult choices...You know you need to make this difficult decision. You know it will make people unhappy with you. But the brave decision is to make it.

Sergei Guriev

Jun 02, 2025

Hannah Watton

Community Ambassador and Team Support Executive, Laidlaw Foundation

Bravery is about making difficult choices...You know you need to make this difficult decision. You know it will make people unhappy with you. But the brave decision is to make it.

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Leading with Bravery: Professor Sergei Guriev

This week’s quote comes from the latest Leadership Lab interview with Professor Sergei Guriev, Dean of London Business School. In his quote, Professor Guriev discusses what it means to be truly brave:

**Sergei Guriev**: “Bravery is about making difficult choices, while cowardice is more about kicking the can down the road. You know you need to make this difficult decision. You know it will make people unhappy with you. But the brave decision is to make it.”

A Leader in Global Impact

Professor Sergei Guriev became the Dean of London Business School in 2024. He previously served as the first Provost of Sciences Po and was a tenured Professor of Economics. Professor Guriev has had a wide-ranging career, in roles such as Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, speechwriter to the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, and Rector at the New Economic School in Moscow. He has contributed columns to the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post and many more.

Rethinking Bravery in Leadership

In his Leadership Lab interview, Professor Guriev discusses misconceptions about what it means to be brave – often it is thought of as excessive or uncalculated risk-taking. However, Professor Guriev highlights the importance of maintaining a rational, pragmatic mindset as a leader. He notes that many leaders become caught up in procrastination and delay difficult decisions—often a symptom of the age of radical transparency, which can leave leaders feeling paralysed. Professor Guriev acknowledges that true bravery is the ability to take action, despite knowing that others will react negatively, if this is the right decision.

This perspective resonates strongly with the Laidlaw Value of #Fast and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of Integrity. Being fast means taking action when needed and avoiding procrastination, the downfall of many leaders. Integrity means to stay consistent with your values and accept that difficult decisions must be made in order to maintain them.

A Call to Reflect

As we consider Professor Guriev's leadership approach, take a moment to ask yourself: When was the last time you acted bravely – not by taking a bold risk, but by making a difficult decision that stayed true to your values?

Hannah Watton (She/Her)

Community Ambassador and Team Support Executive, Laidlaw Foundation

Hi! Having previously been a Laidlaw Undergraduate Scholar studying English Literature at UCL, I’ve recently joined the Laidlaw Foundation as a Community Ambassador and Team Support Executive.

My research looked at collaborative and innovative practices in academic publishing, and community building is something I built a passion for during my Leadership in Action. I’m looking forward to continuing my journey at the Laidlaw Foundation in this new role! Feel free to reach out or connect with me!