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

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Format: Hardcover


Description

1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. When we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it’s necessary to do good work. But daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we’re choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we’re scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can’t do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection, and courage, to start. Four-time 1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? In this new book, Brown uses research, stories, and examples to answer these questions in the no-BSstyle that millions of readers have come to expect and love. Brown writes, “One of the most important findings of my career is that daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100 percent teachable, observable, and measurable. It’s learning and unlearning that requires brave work, tough conversations, and showing up with your whole heart. Easy? No. Because choosing courage over comfort is not always our default. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and our work. It’s why we’re here.” Whether you’ve read Daring Greatly and Rising Strong or you’re new to Brené Brown’s work, this book is for anyone who wants to step up and into brave leadership. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House; First Edition (October 9, 2018)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8925598914


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 22


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.71 x 1.02 x 8.54 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #9 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions #10 in Leadership & Motivation #22 in Personal Transformation Self-Help


#9 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions:


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Top Amazon Reviews


  • A loosely coupled collection of good things
Brene Brown has been saying helpful things about leadership for years. She has a legion of fans. So, it was amazing that I hadn't read a single one of her books. I had The Gifts of Imperfection, on my to-read list, but it kept slipping down in the face of other enthusiasms. Then, I saw a quote from her most recent book, Dare to Lead. It said: "I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential." That was enough for me, I picked up a copy of Dare to Lead. When I blogged that I was reading the book, a funny thing happened. Usually, I get one or two tweets and emails from people who had strong opinions about the book. This time, I received more tweets and emails than usual. Most said something like, "I'd like to hear what you think about this book." I contacted a couple of the people who had reached out to me and asked them what their concern was. It turned out that they were puzzled by the book. They liked it a lot, but they weren't quite sure it was a good book or really all that helpful. I try to address those concerns in this review. A book you think is great may not even be helpful to someone else. A book that was great for you when you were 25 might not be great for you later in life. I told you that so I could tell you this. Dare to Lead was an excellent book for me. It brought together many things that I had been reading and thinking about over the last year. I found a lot of good stuff and, other than a nit to pick here and there, I didn't find any bad stuff. That’s my personal summary judgement. Now for some details to address the questions of the people who emailed me. Most business books have a short statement somewhere near the front of the book where the author tells us what he or she wants the book to accomplish. I couldn't find one in Dare to Lead. Dare to Lead is more like a collection of things than a coherent book laying out a coherent system of thought. It’s two books in one. About two thirds of the book is devoted to the basics. Brene Brown calls it Part One and titles it "Rumbling with Vulnerability." "Rumbling?" Yep. I think “rumbling” is the author's term for a conversation where you thrash things out. I don’t know this for sure, because she never shares a succinct definition of “rumbling.” It’s in-group language. You read the book or take a class and learn the language. Then you use it to communicate with others who know the language. It’s like a secret handshake that only group members know. That can be good for branding. It’s not good for understanding, though, because there are no specific definitions to fall back on. In any case, the "Rumbling with Vulnerability" part of the book has five sections. * The Moment and The Myths * The Call to Courage * The Armory * Shame and Empathy * Curiosity and Grounded There are three more parts to the book. Part Two is "Living Into Our Values." Part Three is "Braving Trust." "Braving" here is an acronym, not a form of the word "brave." Part Four is "Learning to Rise." “Rise” is more insider language. I couldn't find a place where she explicitly defines it. "She talks about it and gives you an example or two and figures you'll get it. I found many good things in the book. I think you will, too. There are ideas you can use and tactics you can master, even if you uncouple them from Dr. Brown's insider language. A big problem with the book is that it isn't a coherent system. It's a collection of things. Many of the things are good, but they're not connected in any logical way, they’re mixed together. That may be good or bad for you. If you like teasing stuff out and learning from descriptions and examples, no problem. But if you prefer a tight system with clear definitions and chains of reason, you will be frustrated. Another issue is the way Dr. Brown treats courage. For her, courage is a value. In fact, she says that on page 52. When she talks about values in the book, she lists courage as a value. Then, she goes on to talk about how you need courage for all these other things. I agree that you need courage. Especially if you're someone responsible for the performance of a group, there are things you must do that require courage. You must talk to people about unacceptable performance or behavior. That takes courage. You need courage to take unpopular stands. You will have to do hard things for the good of the group, like firing someone you like but who isn't performing. You need courage to do many of the things that Brene Brown suggests you do in the book. So, what's the problem? The problem is courage is not a value, it's a virtue. That's how the ancient philosophers like Socrates, Medieval theologians like Thomas Aquinas, and more recent thinkers like David Brooks and Maya Angelou understand courage. Ms. Angelou sums it up best. "I am convinced that courage is the most important of all the virtues. Because without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue consistently. You can be kind for a while; you can be generous for a while; you can be just for a while, or merciful for a while, even loving for a while. But it is only with courage that you can be persistently and insistently kind and generous and fair." Bottom Line Dare To Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts by Brene Brown covers a lot of ground and it has a lot of good stuff in it. It was a great book for me because it brought a lot of things together without imposing a real system on them. If you’re already a fan of Brene Brown and read her books, you will probably like this one. She repeats parts of earlier books sometimes with changes that grow out of her research. That may be okay with you, or it may not. If you've already read something Brene Brown wrote and you didn't like it, you won't like this book either. Give this book a pass if you're looking for a tightly reasoned system. Dare to Lead is a loosely coupled collection of ideas and suggestions. Pass on Dare to Lead if in-group language makes you crazy. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2019 by Wally Bock

  • Not just for work! Wish I had this book years ago, it would have
saved me grief and kept me from causing others grief. Dare to Lead is for everyone, not just professional leaders, because everything in this book applies to families and other groups. As Brené states, “I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” In fact, Dare to Lead would be a wonderful resource or curriculum for a required high school class. There is SO much incredible insight, wisdom, and advice that my brain is tired, and it’s been havoc on my tear ducts multiple times. We all belong to groups, whether it’s at work, in social and community groups or clubs, etc., as members or leaders. And while this book is primarily aimed at leaders in the workplace, any group member would benefit from this knowledge and advice. Over the years, my groups have included my family of origin, my family from marriage, educational groups, event groups, competitive groups, etc. I have always been a good worker, boss, teacher, and leader of different groups. But “good” leaves a lot of leeway for the fact that a few times I have really screwed up in the very ways that Brené discusses. I look back and there were times that my perfectionism, my black-and-white rule-following, and my tendency to sometimes rush to judgement really hurt people. Not to mention, my shame affected my leadership. As I read Dare to Lead, I kept flashing to situations in my past and a couple of people I would really like to go back apologize to, one lady in particular. (Well, really, I want to travel back in time and not screw up to begin with, but sadly that’s just a fantasy.) A bit of background: I was raised in a very abusive family, physically and emotionally. My family of origin’s modus operandi was to judge, criticize, and belittle each member constantly. Mistakes and weaknesses were never forgiven, but held up, mocked, and laughed about over and over, on top of physical and emotional abuse. Armed with self-help books (yes, my family mocks my reliance on self-help books) and therapy, I determined to leave all that behind and become a “normal” person very different from my parents. But sometimes that background messes with my current life. (As Brené says: “What’s perhaps most insidious in power over dynamics is that those who are powerless typically repeat the same behavior when the tables are turned and they are promoted into power.” I would add, sometimes against our best intentions.) There was a time that my insecurity in running a large group led me to take a friend’s reported actions as betrayal. The resulting emotional backlash caused me to handle the situation so badly that I ended up being judgmental and majorly unkind to my friend to such a degree that the title “friend” no longer applies. I should have known better; I should have acted better. It wasn’t just that I hurt my reputation, interfered with how well the group was functioning, looked unprofessional to a hosting facility… The absolutely worst part was that I hurt another person - an innocent person. I broke every tenet I had set for my life because I didn’t take the time to step back and to be a good leader; I just reacted. I went right into shame and blame because I had such an inner fear of being disrespected and betrayed. As a consequence, I disrespected and betrayed my friend by treating her unkindly. In addition, I almost shut down a service that was helping over 1,000 families over the incident. I let fear rule my actions (“I don’t do vulnerability”) and cut my helpers loose (“I can go it alone”). I curtailed offerings and cancelled events. I had listened to and internalized comments from critics as they touched upon the worthlessness instilled by my parents and siblings. (Many people are eager to criticize, and it takes wisdom and practice to let go of unhelpful criticism and use the helpful input for growth.) My actions influenced some members to take sides in a group that shouldn’t have had “sides.” (“Increased polarization, rampant dehumanization of people who are different from us, and our growing inability to ditch the echo chambers for real critical thinking.”) After working alone for another year or so, I handed off the group to a team of ladies that I knew would do a better job than I was doing. I believe if I had read Dare to Lead first, I would have had the tools in place to respond appropriately in a way that would have fostered group cohesion, eliminated problems, and just generally been a better leader for my group. In addition, I ponder Brené’s adage that the “courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.” I’ve considered going back and apologizing to my ex-friend many times, but I’ve always been afraid that it would simply set off more negativity. But it was my lack of judgement and responding with emotions from my past that caused the rift, and I’d like her to know that I take full responsibility for that. Is it too late to go back and tell this person how badly I feel about being a leader who truly mishandled the situation? Would it make a difference to her? I plan to reread this life-changing book with my husband and daughter, both IT professionals, so they can learn from it while I benefit from the review. Dare to Lead contains wisdom to guide leaders who want to nurture safe and effective work groups. It can also benefit leaders and members of any other groups or teams, whether for a sport, church, political group, competitive team, etc. Dare to Lead would also be a great resource for members to use to kindly hold leaders accountable. There is no downside to taking this entire book in as heart knowledge and incorporating it into our lives. And the upside is that we will not only improve the quality of our own lives, but the lives of those we interact with. Highly recommended for the universe at large. This is the first book I’ve read by Brené Brown; I’ll definitely be reading more! Edited for clarity. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2018 by Bookwyrm

  • Great book, that provides insight on being a better leader
This book walks you through the importance of having tough conversations, as a team to build it up to be great!
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2023 by Ed

  • Should be required reading
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown is a MUST read. It should be required reading for EVERYONE in a leadership role, including but not exclusive to teachers at every level. I wish I could go through a f2f Dare to Lead training. It would help me absorb the incredibly dense amazing material throughout Dare to Lead. Btw: I seriously went through two whole highlighters while reading D2L. This is a book I will definitely come back to as often as possible. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023 by PollyAnna Joy

  • Great Work
This book was very inspiring, and the concepts make much sense. I have been in a leadership position and led my group with so many of the same ideas in this book, which had great outcomes.
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023 by James Williams

  • Very good read
Brené Brown hit the nail right on the head with this one!a great read for new or seasoned leaders. I will be buying more of her books!
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2023 by Jackie

  • Good info
Came quick and just what my job required.
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2023 by Shelby Pendergraft

  • Self Exploration is Key to growth
Have the tough conversations. That's where the growth is.
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2023 by Paline Kirkorian

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