Courage and moral leadership According to Daft (2011), courage is the ability to do the right thing despite fear and/or retaliation. While moral leadership is the ability to demonstrate morality and fairness, provide ethical guidance and transparency, and accept responsibility for leadership actions. This article focuses on the courageous and moral leadership of Governor Beverly Perdue of North Carolina. Courage: Stand Alone Governor Perdue serves the citizens of North Carolina. He has shown courage in the face of threats, retaliation and unpopular media spotlight. This woman stands her ground for what is right without fear. Currently, North Carolina has had to make some tough budget choices due to the economic crisis. One decision was to cut state agency budgets by 7 to 15 percent. Additionally, state employees were required to take three days of leave and did not receive a cost-of-living increase. Although many members of the General Assembly opposed his actions, these necessary measures ensured a balanced state budget. Furthermore, his decision to put this money back into the budget to fund social service programs angered many assembly members who intended to use these funds for their pet projects. His decision to veto their budget made Governor Perdue unpopular and a target for many seeking re-election. Additionally, Governor Perdue further infuriated assembly members by refusing to cut additional education funding and eliminate educational programs aimed at at-risk children. Although her decisions were in the best interests of North Carolina residents, she had to stand alone and use her veto power. . “In his veto message, the bill will cause untold harm to public schools, higher education, dam… middle of paper…bm.state.nc.us/ncosbm/osbm_library/superpubs/ budget1113 .shtmRobertson, G.D. (2011, June 16). NC Lawmakers Override Perdue's Historic Budget Veto. Retrieved from Bloomberg Businessweek website: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9NT0K4G0.htmRobertson, G.D. (2012, January 28). Due to focus on education last year. /Sosik, J.J., & Cameron, J.C. (2010) Character and authentic transformational leadership behavior: Expanding the ascetic self to others. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 62(4), 251-269 doi:10.1037/a0022104van Dierendonck , D., & Nuijten, I. (2011).The servant leadership survey: Development and validation of a multidimensional measure, 26(3), 249-26710869-010-9194-1