Leadership is brave work that involves tough conversations and whole hearts, argues Brené Brown.
What’s the premise of this book?
Research professor and sociologist Brené Brown advocates courageous leadership – which isn’t intimidating or authoritarian. In fact, vulnerability, trust, values and resilience are the most crucial leadership qualities.
What does courageous leadership look like?
Brown explains that when we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it’s necessary to do good work.
What are the four skills sets of courageous leadership?
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Rumbling with vulnerability.
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Living your values (rather than simply professing them).
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Braving trust (and being the first to trust).
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Learning to rise.
Surely vulnerability is a weakness?
You might think so, since it equates to uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. But Brown argues that healthy vulnerability is a strength that sits at the heart of success. There’s no courage without vulnerability, she believes. It builds trust (without which relationships fall apart), encourages honesty and authenticity and elevates performance.
Oh, and a “rumble” is a conversation where people embrace discomfort, vulnerability and challenge in order to serve the mission and each other – not their egos.
Living our values is clear. But how do we brave trust?
By following the acronym BRAVING: boundaries; reliability; accountability; vault; integrity; non-judgement, and generosity. These are seven behaviours that encourage trust, according to Brown.
Most are self-explanatory, but ‘vault’ is a reminder that we can be a vault of information when it comes to stuff that other people have shared with us. In order to trust us, others have to feel safe telling us something – in the knowledge that we won’t immediately pass the information on to someone else.
What does Brown mean by “learning to rise”?
Courageous leaders need to build the skills to get back up when we fall – because we will all fall at some point. This involves recognising our emotions and behaviours, interrogating rather than numbing them, claiming ownership of them and initiating change.
What am I most likely to say after reading this book?
“Let’s lean into vulnerability.”
What am I least likely to say after reading this book?
“I don't think I can get back up.”