How to Be Bold with Ranjay Gulati
From Thinkers & Ideas by BCG Henderson Institute
December 9, 2025 · 35 min
About this episode
Ranjay Gulati discusses how boldness can be learned and the science behind everyday courage.
In How to Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage , Ranjay Gulati argues that being bold is something you can learn—not a trait you have to be born with. Gulati, a professor at Harvard Business School, is a leading organizational sociologist and management scholar. In his new book, he explores the science and psychology of courage—showing that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. In his conversation with Adam Job, senior director at the BCG Henderson Institute, he discusses the difference between uncertainty and risk, strategies for building courage at the individual and corporate level, and why we shouldn’t be worried about boldness leading to excessive risk-taking. Key topics discussed: 00:58 | The definition of courage 05:11 | Boldness and excessive risk-taking 06:34 | Strategies for building courage as an individual 14:51 | The power of sense-making 18:16 | Risk management systems 21:13 | How to build a culture of courage 31:40 | One thing executives should do differently Additional inspirations from Ranjay Gulati: Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies (Harper Business, 2022)
People in this episode
Host: Adam Job
Guest: Ranjay Gulati
Topics covered
- courage
- boldness
- risk management
- organizational culture
- psychology
Keywords
- science of courage
- mastery of fear
- strategies for building courage
- culture of courage
- risk-taking
Mentioned in this episode
Products: How to Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage, Deep Purpose: The Heart of High-Performance Companies
Books & works: How to Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage
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