I am a huge fan of Brené Brown, finding her work during an emotionally painful time in my life, and when I was ready to hear it, I accredit to changing my life. She has wisdom that is only achieved through taking an in-depth inventory of her own emotional life, and those that she studied in her research. In her new book she explores what it truly means to lead from the inside out. As I begin to read her new work, I found this quote really inspiring and cultivating a desire to be an even better version of myself.
“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.”
What I take from that is that leading is not being the smartest person in the room, not needing to posture your confidence, your intellect, and your influence as though those aspects of you are your true strengths and that leading and power are things to share and empower others with. By facing things that make us uncomfortable or are not our beliefs with curiosity, peace and respect we can create an even stronger sense of connection. Connection is what helps us lead even more people to their own good work and in essence our own good work.
I think we can all learn from one another, and by doing so we are building a stronger future for ourselves and others.
I encourage you to buy her new book Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts here