Dare to Lead:
Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts.
by
Brené Brown
This is one of my all-time favourite leadership reads... and that's saying something. In fact, when I have the opportunity to teach a university course on leadership and select my own syllabus, this will be the singular title on the list. I make a point of reading this book or listening to it at least once a year.
To try to summarize Dr. Brown's work, would be to diminish how it all comes together into a concise masterwork on the importance of emotions in our pursuit of leadership. However, with that said, I would like to share a couple takeaways from my most recent read of her work.
1) To paraphrase Dr. Brown: Joy is among our most vulnerable emotions, and that's what we often subconsciously sabotage it. We don't want to jinx our feelings - so we rehearse tragedy.
In short, this has really been accentuated over COVID and I can see it in the guilt we feel when we are having fun - when a pandemic rages around us.
2) One of my favourite takeaways from Dr. Brown is: Practice gratitude, it allows us to embrace joy.
In so much of my reading around positive psychology, it seems so essential that the path to overall happiness is found through sharing our thanks to others.
3) Finally, Dr. Brown reminds us that leadership requires us to thrive in the ambiguity of paradoxes and opposites.... chew on that one a bit!
If you are a leader, or ever dream to lead, pick up this book - you won't be disappointed.
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