Key Messages
Embrace Vulnerability To Become A Better Leader – Exploring Brené Brown’S Dare To Lead
Leadership is no longer about flashy titles, positions, or power.
Instead, it’s about learning how to lead with courage and emotional agility.
In Dare to Lead by Brené Brown, readers can learn how to cultivate strength from vulnerability.
This involves fostering trust through honest communication and embracing the things that makes us vulnerable as leaders.
Dare to Lead helps managers, directors and executives alike discover the powerful tools of expressing their true values while they take on the challenges of building successful teams.This book provides readers with useful guidance on how to be authentic in their leadership and make courageous choices based on trust and respect for everyone involved.
It’s a must-read for anyone hoping to strengthen their leadership skillset!
Vulnerability Is Not Weakness – It Is The Cornerstone Of Courage And Innovation
When it comes to innovation, vulnerability isn’t a liability.
On the contrary, it’s actually paramount to achieving success.
We’ve seen this illustrated in both large-scale and small-scale examples of courage and creativity.
Brené Brown’s work has shown that risky situations, such as starting a new business or opening up emotional conversation, foster feelings of vulnerability in people.
This can lead to anxiety and self-protection, but this doesn’t have to be the case if you embrace the concept of vulnverability rather than running away from it.
In fact, the act of being courageous cannot even happen without indulging in some level of vulnerability first.
The same applies for creative endeavours like writing or creating artwork; these activities are all characterized by uncertainty and risk – and therefore by vulnerability.
People who try to create something new may experience failure multiple times before they become successful in their particular craft.
But if society stigmatizes vulnerability as weakness and you allow those feelings to prevent you from stepping out into the unknown there won’t be any chance for growth or advancement.
The Power Of Being Clear To Show Kindness
Brené Brown’s research shows that one of the most important attributes of courageous leaders is their willingness to give and solicit honest feedback.
Going beyond simply setting expectations for employees, leaders must have the courage to ask team members about their fears and feelings – and have faith that, when they’re ready, the other person will fill the silence with their true thoughts.
This kind of clear communication requires courage and vulnerability – leaders must be willing to confront difficult conversations head-on without hiding behind euphemisms or empty platitudes.
Honest feedback enables leaders to gain insight into how their employees actually feel and think, which helps them make better informed decisions.
This adds an invaluable layer of trust and respect between a leader and their team, as people become comfortable knowing that they can speak openly without fear of judgement or retribution.
Leaders also need to remember to really listen when someone expresses a deep truth in response; it’s not enough just to ask – they must give the other person space to answer without interruption.
Doing this creates a meaningful dialogue between employer and subordinate, enabling both sides to come away with a better understanding of what needs to be done in order for everyone involved succeed in the long run.
It Takes Courage And Faith To Keep Going In The Gladiatorial Arena Of The Modern Workplace
The ability to bravely lead in the face of adversity starts with knowing your core values.
Brené Brown discovered in her research that leaders with a firm understanding of their essential values fare much better than those without during tough times.
These individuals could use their values like ‘North Star’, providing a sense of direction and guiding them through times of ambiguity and vulnerability.
Knowing what was important to themselves enabled them to remain daring and take risks, but without compromising their own integrity.
Moreover, it is recommended that you should narrow down your core values to just two – having too many core values can cause confusion and make it hard to determine which one will actually motivate your behavior.
By knowing what truly matters, you’ll be more willing to step out into the unknown and keep rising above any challenge.
You Can Improve Your Level Of Trust In Others By Following The Braving Acronym
Trust is an important and multifaceted aspect of our working relationships.
Brené Brown and her team of researchers looked at the nature of trust and identified seven behaviors that can help encourage it: BRAVING.
B stands for boundaries, which means respecting each other’s boundaries.
R is for reliability – this means being aware of one’s abilities & limitations when making commitments.
A stands for accountability in taking ownership of mistakes; V for vault, which covers not passing on information that isn’t ours to pass on; I for Integrity – having courage over comfort & doing what is right rather than easy; N for non-judgment – create a safe environment where people can tell us how they really feel or ask for help; and finally, G stands for generosity – interpreting the words, actions, & intentions of others in a beneficial way.
By remembering BRAVING and implementing these behaviors within your working relationships, you will be able to build more effective teams through trust and successful leadership.
Teaching Leaders Resilience Skills Equips Them To Take Risks Bravely
We’ve all heard the phrase “fail fast and fail forward”, but what does that actually mean? Learning how to fail can actually help us be brave.
This is because when we can acknowledge and accept failure, it gives us the confidence to take risks knowing that we won’t be crippled by whatever result comes out of our decisions.
In her book Dare To Lead, Brené Brown speaks about the importance of teaching leaders resilience skills early on, as part of a wider training program.
That way, they know that when they make daring decisions, if it doesn’t go their way, they will be able to pick themselves up and move on without feeling ashamed.
By learning how to identify and process failure, this allows leaders (and anyone really) to take inspirational leaps from time-to-time with the knowledge that no matter what happens there’s still a silver lining at the end of the journey.
The Dangers Of Perfectionism: Busting The Myths And Gaining The Courage To Lead
Perfectionism is a major factor that holds us back from reaching our full potential and truly engaging in courage.
At its core, perfectionism is all about trying to win approval.
We often develop a belief system that rewards us for our accomplishments and expects brilliance in every effort we make.
This can lock us into an exhausting pattern of seeking validation and proving ourselves, which prevents us from taking risks and improving ourselves.
Furthermore, perfectionism can lead to addiction, depression, and anxiety as well as cause fear of failure and criticism.
It detracts us from striving for true greatness in life because we worry too much about what others will think.
In order to break free of this damaging state of mind, it’s important to rid yourself of the need for perfect execution or pleasing people around you.
Instead, take the risks associated with daring leadership – even if mistakes are made along the way – so that you can join the messiness of life and attain self-improvement through courage.
Wrap Up
The Dare to Lead book has an important lesson that many of us need: courage and creativity come from being vulnerable.
In order to become a daring leader, we must understand our emotions and step away from perfectionist tendencies and fears of failure.
To make sure you live up to this challenge, the book offers actionable advice by exploring what it is we are truly feeling and asking ourselves where that feeling may have originated in the first place.
This will help to find real comfort instead of numbing ourselves with alcohol, food or shopping.
Daring leadership requires us all to become vulnerable, something that could be scary for some – but definitely worth it in the long run.
