by Brene Brown
I like the sub-title of this book – ‘Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.’, with ‘Whole Hearts’ emphasized in darker font. And really, this is what this book is about – leading with your whole heart. The author puts forth a different way of thinking about leadership, by being true to yourself and fostering genuine connections.
My key takeaways:
- Being vulnerable is ok – when we are open and honest about our struggles and uncertainties, it helps to build trust and connection with the team (and of course, be mindful of the context and gauge the situation. For example, if you are the CEO of a company, sharing all your uncertainties in an investors’ meeting might not be the best approach!)
- Choose courage over comfort. Real leadership means facing tough conversations and making hard decisions, even if they’re uncomfortable.
- Trust matters – building and maintaining trust is key to being a good leader. Learn to earn and keep trust by being transparent, reliable, and empathetic.
- Be authentic and fully engaged with your team.
I think this take on leadership is fresh and offers hope for a more genuine and connected workplace if more people learn about and adopt these perspectives on leadership. The book is peppered with the author’s own experiences and observations, where her own vulnerabilities show up in some of these examples as well. Highly recommend people to read this book, regardless of whether you are in a leadership position or not, because at the core of this book it’s really about how you build connections with people around you.
Rin Ranger 