What is the main message of Dare to Lead?

The main message of Dare to Lead is the importance of vulnerability and courage in leadership.

Who is the author of Dare to Lead?

The author of Dare to Lead is Brené Brown.

Personal Development

Dare to Lead Book Summary - Dare to Lead Book explained in key points

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Dare to Lead summary

Name: Dare to Lead
Rating: 4.3 (795 reviews)
Author: Brené Brown

Brené Brown

Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts.

4.3 (795 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown is a leadership book that challenges traditional approaches. It encourages vulnerability, empathy, and courage as essential skills for modern leaders. Learn how to cultivate true belonging and unlearn what you've been taught about being a leader.

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Leadership

Table of Contents

Dare to Lead
Summary of 6 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Learn how to lead with courage.

Across the world – from Argentina to Australia, Canada to Cambodia – there are managers, directors, and executives who all want to know the answer to one simple question: How do I become a better leader?

But, contrary to what you might think, the secret to great leadership isn’t about your position – or power. The key to really great leadership is vulnerability, speaking your truth, being courageous and sticking to your values.

In this Blink, we’re going to look at vulnerability in practical terms. We’ll discuss how you and your team can carve out time in your calendars to get vulnerable, and we’ll explore the importance of honing in on your values so that you can make decisions and perform day-to-day actions from a place of true conviction.

Begin your leadership journey by reframing your idea of vulnerability.

Let’s start by asking a bold question: What makes you feel vulnerable?

Even though vulnerability is a universal feeling that we all experience, we still sometimes associate it with “weakness” or feeling inadequate. We worry that admitting we don’t know all the answers will make us look stupid.

So rather than exposing ourselves to others and allowing for moments of genuine connection and problem-solving, we reach out for our “emotional armor,” we put it on, and we create barriers – between us and our coworkers, between us and the challenges we face, between us and our emotions, between us and true moments of understanding and connection with our team.

Far from being a weakness, practicing real vulnerability is a superpower. It will transform you from a mediocre leader into a great leader. And this is our first key message: being vulnerable is an act of courage.

It involves saying what’s on your mind and being honest with yourself and your team. The original word for courage comes from the Latin word cor, or “heart,” and it meant “to speak your mind by telling your heart.”

Vulnerability is your winning hand. It’s the cornerstone of human innovation and creativity, and it requires you to get open and comfortable with failure. More often than not, you’re going to need to fail multiple times before your team eventually lands on that one idea, that clear “aha” moment, that helps move everything forward.

How can you create moments for true vulnerability?

The second key idea in this Blink is that courageous leaders carve out time to talk from the heart by giving and soliciting honest feedback.

In the early days of building her company, Brené’s employees asked if they could sit down with her. They had concerns, and they wanted to share them with her. And so, being a courageous leader, Brené agreed. She sat down with her employees and was stunned to learn that they were struggling with the consequences of her unrealistic time management. Her team pointed out that she had an unhealthy habit of setting impossible deadlines, which they struggled to meet.

Creating meeting spaces that encourage a company culture of sharing and honesty.

One great way to create a culture of vulnerability and curiosity within meetings is to use permission slips. These slips give you and your team the opportunity to do a self check-in before a meeting begins – a chance to identify your fears, hopes, and intentions.

Offer each member of your team a Post-it note, and invite them to list one emotion or action they’ll allow themselves to fulfill over the course of the meeting. You can use permission slips in private or as a group. They’re a valuable way of setting the tone for the rest of the meeting.

Use meetings as an opportunity to get clear on missing information or knowledge gaps.

If you lead an organization, you’ll know that organizations are made up of people. And people are constantly seeking patterns and stories to help them make sense of their world.

Your colleagues and teammates probably have a set of stories they refer back to in order to make sense of their work and their place within the team. The thing about stories is that the brain enjoys a neat ending. We want villains and heroes as well as a clear story arc. To put it bluntly, we want clarity.

Getting clear on your core values will give you direction and allow you to move decisions forward with conviction.

Your values are like your North Star – they should direct every decision you make and every action you implement.

When we find ourselves facedown in the dirt, it's our values that motivate us to get back up again and keep daring to give it our all. The most courageous leaders that Brené Brown came across during her research were those who really knew what their values were – and who used these values to guide them through periods of darkness.

The ideal of perfection stands in the way of great leadership, courage, and growth.

From an early age, we become skilled at shielding ourselves from vulnerable feelings like disappointment, hurt, and diminishment. We build walls around our behaviors, emotions, and thoughts and use them to protect ourselves from the big, bad world.

But to live and lead with courage, we need to, as Brené Brown says, “rumble” with vulnerability. One of the best ways to begin this journey is by recognizing the blockers preventing us from being more open. A key blocker here is perfectionism.

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What is Dare to Lead about?

Dare to Lead (2018) explores how to find the inner courage to lead a great team. Drawing on Brené Brown’s research and experience as a leadership coach, it shows how you can harness your emotions, quash your fear of failure, and become a daring leader in an increasingly competitive world.

Dare to Lead Review

Dare to Lead (2018) by Brené Brown tackles the complexities of leadership and provides valuable insights for anyone looking to lead with courage and authenticity. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

It offers a practical roadmap for leaders, with actionable advice on cultivating brave work, tough conversations, and wholeheartedness.
By combining research-backed findings with real-life stories, Brown brings the content to life and makes it relevant and relatable.
The book's emphasis on vulnerability and overcoming shame fosters a deep connection with readers, making the journey engaging and thought-provoking.

Best quote from Dare to Lead

The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, its about the courage to show up when you cant predict or control the outcome.

—Brené Brown

Who should read Dare to Lead?

Business psychology buffs seeking new insights
Leaders searching for fresh ways to connect with their team
Anyone trying to build their courage in the workplace

About the Author

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston whose work focuses on courage and empathy. Her 2012 book Daring Greatly was a New York Times best seller. Her TED talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” has over 30 million views and is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks of all time.

Categories with Dare to Lead

Personal Development Management & Leadership Career & Success

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