Dare to Lead
Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
by Brené Brown
“With Dare to Lead, Brené brings decades of research to bear in a practical and insightful guide to courageous leadership. This book is a road map for anyone who wants to lead mindfully, live bravely, and dare to lead.”
The Unbeatable Power of Vulnerable Leadership
What does a leader look like? For generations, the image has been one of invulnerability. A leader is stoic, decisive, always has the right answer, and never shows weakness. They wear a suit of professional armor, protecting themselves from the messy emotions of the workplace. We’ve been taught that leadership is about power and control, and that vulnerability is a liability. But what if this entire model is not only wrong, but is actively holding our organizations back?
In her seminal work, Dare to Lead, renowned research professor Brené Brown systematically dismantles this outdated myth. Drawing on two decades of research with thousands of leaders across the globe, Brown makes a powerful, data-backed case: leadership is not about titles or authority. It’s about having the courage to show up, be seen, and stay curious, especially when things are uncertain. She argues that vulnerability isn't a weakness to be hidden, but the very birthplace of the courage, trust, and innovation that define great leadership. Dare to Lead is a practical, actionable playbook for building this new kind of courageous leadership.
What You'll Learn
Why vulnerability is the truest measure of courage, not a weakness.
The four teachable skills that make up daring and effective leadership.
A seven-part framework for breaking down and building trust with your team.
The difference between counterproductive "armored leadership" and transformative "daring leadership."
A three-step process for getting back up after failure and disappointment.
The Core Principle: Courage Requires Vulnerability
The entire book is built on one foundational concept, best captured by President Theodore Roosevelt's famous "Man in the Arena" speech. The credit belongs not to the critic, but to the person "who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood." Brown argues that if you are not in the arena, getting your butt kicked on occasion, you are not leading. And being in the arena—trying new things, having tough conversations, making difficult decisions—is, by definition, an act of vulnerability.
She defines a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential. By this definition, leadership is not about your title. It's about your willingness to step into the arena. Brown’s research identified four skill sets that are consistently present in these daring leaders. The good news? They are 100% teachable.
Skill 1: Rumbling with Vulnerability
The first and most critical skill is learning to embrace vulnerability. A "rumble" is Brown's term for a conversation, meeting, or process dedicated to exploring a tough topic with curiosity and a commitment to learning. Rumbling with vulnerability means having the courage to navigate risky and emotionally exposed situations.
First, you must debunk the myths:
Myth #1: Vulnerability is weakness. Brown’s research shows the opposite: vulnerability, the willingness to show up when you can't control the outcome, is the most accurate measure of courage.
Myth #2: I don't "do" vulnerability. The reality is, you do. Life is uncertain and risky. Your only choice is whether you engage willingly or have it thrust upon you.
Myth #3: Vulnerability is oversharing. Vulnerability is not spilling your guts to everyone you meet. It’s about sharing your feelings and experiences with people who have earned the right to hear them, and it’s based on a foundation of trust.
A manager I know embodied this skill perfectly. After a major project failed, instead of blaming others, she told her team, "I'm incredibly disappointed, and honestly, I'm not sure what our next move is. I need your help to figure this out." That act of vulnerability opened the door to a level of honesty and creative problem-solving the team had never experienced before.
Skill 2: Living into Our Values
Daring leaders don't just profess their values; they practice them. This skill is about moving your core values from inspirational posters on the wall into observable, daily behaviors. The process is simple but not easy:
Get Clear on Your Values: You can’t live into values you can’t name. Brown encourages leaders to narrow their list down to just one or two core values. Having too many is the same as having none.
Define the Behaviors: For each core value, you must define the specific behaviors that support it and the behaviors that are out of alignment with it. If "collaboration" is a core value, a supporting behavior might be "asking for input from other teams," while a non-supporting behavior would be "making decisions in a silo." This clarity allows you to hold yourself and others accountable.
Skill 3: BRAVING Trust
Trust is the glue that holds teams and organizations together, but it often feels like an abstract concept. Brown breaks it down into seven specific, observable behaviors using the acronym BRAVING. This framework transforms trust from a vague feeling into a practical skill set.
The Anatomy of Trust: The BRAVING Framework
Trust is not a grand, singular gesture. It's built in small, everyday moments. Use this checklist to understand the seven elements of trust and to assess its strength on your team.
B - Boundaries: You are clear about your boundaries, you hold them, and you respect the boundaries of others.
R - Reliability: You do what you say you'll do. You don't overpromise, and you deliver on your commitments consistently.
A - Accountability: You own your mistakes, you apologize for them, and you make amends. You don't blame others when you mess up.
V - Vault: You don't share information or confidences that are not yours to share. People know their secrets are safe with you.
I - Integrity: You choose courage over comfort. You practice your values rather than just professing them. You choose what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy.
N - Non-judgment: I can ask for help, or talk about my failures, without being judged by you.
G - Generosity: You extend the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words, and actions of others.
Skill 4: Learning to Rise
If you dare to lead, you will eventually fall. Daring leadership requires resilience. The "Learning to Rise" process is a three-step framework for getting back up after setbacks and disappointments.
The Reckoning: You have to recognize and get curious about the emotions you are feeling. Instead of ignoring your anger, disappointment, or grief, you have to "walk into" the feeling and understand it.
The Rumble: This is where you challenge the "shitty first draft" or "conspiracy theory" you tell yourself immediately after a failure. Our brains are wired to create stories to make sense of things, but these stories are often based on fear and insecurity, not facts. You must "rumble" with that story to find the truth.
The Revolution: Having reckoned with your emotions and rumbled with your story, you can now write a new, more courageous ending. You take the learnings from the failure and integrate them into your life, creating transformative change.
Your First Steps to Daring Leadership
1. Name Your Arena: What is the tough conversation, the risky project, or the difficult decision you've been avoiding? Acknowledge it as your "arena." Daring leadership starts with stepping in.
2. Define Your Core Values: Take 15 minutes to narrow down your list of values to the two that are most essential to who you are as a leader. Then, write down three specific behaviors that demonstrate one of those values in action.
3. Conduct a Trust Audit: Think about your team. Using the BRAVING acronym, where are you strongest in building trust? Where is there an opportunity to improve?
4. Practice a Vulnerability Rumble: The next time you feel yourself "armoring up" (getting defensive, shutting down), try getting curious instead. Use a simple phrase like, "Tell me more about your concern," or, "I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, can we slow down for a second?"
Final Reflections
Dare to Lead is a powerful call to transform the modern workplace. Brené Brown provides a research-based, deeply human, and actionable framework that redefines leadership. It argues that the most critical leadership skills are not about control, power, or perfection, but about courage, connection, and empathy. It’s a guide for any leader who is willing to take off their armor, step into the arena, and have the courage to build organizations where people feel safe, seen, heard, and respected, and can show up to do their bravest work.
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“Brené visited Pixar to talk with our filmmakers. Her message was important, as movies are best when they come from a place of vulnerability, when the people who make them encounter setbacks and are forced to overcome them, when they are willing to have their asses handed to them. It is easy to sit back and talk about the values of a safe and meaningful culture, but extraordinarily difficult to pull it off. You don’t achieve good culture without constant attention, without an environment of safety, courage, and vulnerability. These are hard skills, but they are teachable skills. Start with this book.”
