Dare to lead Brené Brown

Leadership is not about titles, status, and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas and developing that potential. This book is for everyone ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference, and lead.

Courage and vulnerability

Leaders need to be more vulnerable

The problem is that most people associate that vulnerability as a synonym for weakness, but that’s not true.

“Vulnerability is the universal human emotion we feel when we expose ourselves to others during times of risk or uncertainty.”

And this is what the core of leadership is about: the courage to act how we should despite fear, uncertainty, or danger in our way.

Values

The modern workplace might feel like a “gladiator arena.” While it might not be a matter of a life-dead situation, it still requires bravery, and plenty of sweetness and tears, to the point that we can feel so overwhelmed that we are tempted to leave. So, according to Brené:

“One of the most significant sources of motivation for sticking it out is to be crystal clear about our core values.”

Values are the ideals that we have that bring purpose to what we do in our life. They guide us and give us something to hold on to during dark and difficult times. Strong values guide us to do what is correct rather than easy.

Honesty

A great leader encourages potential in people and possesses the courage to guide this potential as it develops. One of the critical skills for doing this is courage and the ability to deliver honest and open feedback.

Unfortunately, many leaders are afraid to give tuff feedback and leave their employees in the dark. Yes, sometimes the truth hurts, but we often avoid difficult conversations because they make us uncomfortable.

“Great leaders must be brave and always dare to provide constructive feedback, speak the truth, and be clear about their expectations.”

In the long run, this is kinder and more productive.

Trust

“Trust is an essential aspect of our working relationships.”

7 behaviours that encourage trust

Expressed together with the acronym: BRAVING

1. Setting Boundaries - respect one another’s boundaries
2. Reliability - which means to follow-up words with actions
3. Accountability - being responsible and acknowledging mistakes
4. Vault - the ability to keep confidential information private
5. Integrity - choosing courage over comfort
6. Non-judgment - talk to one another without judgment
7. Generosity - assuming that people meet you with the best intentions

Failure

The ability to fail and recover from it is an essential skill for any great leader. Fear of failure holds us back and stops us from achieving true greatness.

It is crucial to take off the armor of perfectionism and jump into the uncertainty of life. Only this way do we indeed gain the courage to succeed and lead.

Summary