Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

Shame and vulnerability are in opposition.

Being vulnerable mitigates shame. Avoiding vulnerability amplifies shame.

If you are a reader of modern leadership books, or modern pop-psychology, you probably recognize the header of this blog.

Dr. Brene Brown has spent decades researching shame and vulnerability, and this book Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. puts that conversation in the leadership paradigm.

In the last ten years, I have read more about leadership than any other specific topic. This is the first author that I have found who focuses on the language of vulnerability and expresses how it amplifies leadership and raises culture. Amazingly, as I approached the end of this book, I found this same book cited in an article from a trucking magazine. Seriously. A trucking magazine.

Trucking is at the core of blue-collar identity, and somehow Dr. Brene Brown has found a way to get the idea of vulnerability and trust to infiltrate a hard-shelled industry. I find this absolutely fascinating; I think it speaks volumes on the impact of vulnerability and trust, and it speaks to Dr. Brown’s excellence with what she does that she might be able to bring a perspective to an industry where women hold just 30% of C-Suite positions and 12% of the drivers seats.

My interpretation: Dr. Brown is good at what she does and vulnerability has a place in every setting.

If you are a leader, and you want to lead people instead of just managing them, then you need to get this book. Sit in it; spend time considering what she is saying. Dr. Brown utilizes both qualitative and quantitative information to support the idea of vulnerability in leadership. She uses stories from her own business as well as other successful leaders to point out successes and failures. While I do not necessarily agree with everything she says, I absolutely see where she is coming from.

Here is a simple statement that got me:

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of belonging, love, and joy.”

As I try to lead people, especially in contexts where this is not the norm, I can leave a profound impact by helping them feel like they belong. To help others belong, vulnerability is a critical component. And I love the premise that it is the birthplace. The metaphor allows room for growth and development after vulnerability has been breached.

It will be bumpy, uncomfortable, and imperfect. But vulnerability has a spot in the workplace. If you are a leader, you need to ask the question: how am I leading in vulnerability? How am I creating space for others to be vulnerable?

You might be thinking that the workplace is not a place for blubbering and group counseling sessions, which I would agree for the most part (I might challenge the condescending perspective of vulnerability). That is not the idea being presented here. Vulnerability sometimes is pigeonholed for people who share everything and dump their emotions in front of everyone. Again, not the premise.

Leading a workplace in and with vulnerability looks different than it might at home, or with a dear friend. But it still has a spot in the workplace, and more importantly leading with vulnerability in life in general is the thing to grasp.

This book is a winner. I can see why her research is proving to be impactful in an abundance of workplaces.