Courageous Leadership: What It Is And Why It Is Crucial

“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…Daring leaders work to make sure people can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging.”

— BRENÉ BROWN

Today's Top Takeaways: 

• Leading from the heart and showing up as human are prerequisites to impactful change.

• Stop trying to be “right” and instead, be authentic. See and experience the difference.

• Modeling vulnerability fosters trust and elevates your team.

Vulnerability, courage, and shame researcher Brené Brown is an expert in the Leadership world. She writes and speaks extensively on daring leadership and the importance of vulnerability when it comes to leading an effective team. The work has led to this simple, yet powerful finding: courageous leadership is a prerequisite for high performing teams to succeed and surpass the ceiling of possibility. The word “courage” comes from the Latin root “cor” which translates to “from the heart”. It makes perfect sense. One must be willing to lead from the heart if they want to create big change. They must be willing to show up as human.

If we are open to seeing it, the opportunity to lead from a place of courage shows up everywhere. In the way one speaks, listens, and leads their team, there is always the choice to show up as human. 

I posed the following question to my teammates, SLP’s Founder, Sebastian Little and Project Manager, Lucas Marcoullier: “how does a leader approach a difficult or uncomfortable conversation with an individual or team from their organization?” While their answers differed (see below), they both spoke to the ethos of Brené’s work. 

Sebastian: “Be responsible for impact - you can say anything… as long as you’re willing to clean it up”. 

So often leaders get caught up in trying to say the “right” thing to their team, however, if they say the authentic thing, then the rest will follow. Part of courageous leadership is trusting one’s own instincts, especially in conversations and situations that trigger discomfort or uncertainty. Sebastian highlighted the importance of naming emotions and personal experiences. Bringing humanity into the situation allows for deeper trust and communicates to the organization an atmosphere of acceptance and non-judgment. Our humanity allows us room to be wrong. As Sebastian added, “being effective is more important than being right”.

Courageous leadership creates a level playing field across all ranks and levels in an organization. Many times, superiority can build a wall between members of a team. Vulnerability and a willingness to be open with others removes these implicit barriers and allows the organization to focus on the next performance rather than political jousting . Luke Marcoullier described the tactic of depersonalizing conflict and friction and refocusing on the common goal, “Put yourself on the same side and point to externally shared ground…There’s a lot of ways this can show up in practice, but the point is to immediately set up a dynamic of mutual improvement”. When everyone involved is willing to uplevel together, extraordinary results happen.

This concept in leadership can make the difference between an average organization and an incredible one. High performers in every realm, from sports, to business, to academics and art are willing to show up and be seen. Courageous leadership unlocks infinite possibility. 

You may be wondering, “What’s next?” The following practices are recommended to anyone looking to deepen and examine their courageous leadership:

• Reflection: “Do I hesitate or refrain from asking difficult questions at work?”

  • Practice: This week, ask one difficult question to an individual or team at work even if it feels uncomfortable. Examine how trust grows in that relationship.

• Reflection: In a moment where you feel the need to be “right”, practice being authentic. Remember, being effective is more important than being right.

• Listen to an episode of Brené Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us. Share with a colleague and let them know what you learned.. 

• Watch Simon Sinek’s speech on trust and understanding others. Observe the ways he speaks of the importance of trust in leadership.