ReThinking Brené Brown on courageous leadership
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Sep 30, 2025 
Brené Brown, a renowned researcher and bestselling author, explores the essence of courageous leadership during a live talk with Adam Grant. She emphasizes the importance of genuine care in leadership and identifies core values as a foundation for making tough decisions. Drawing insights from her work with FBI negotiators, she highlights the power of understanding and accurately reflecting others' stories. Brené also delves into the nuances of vulnerability, the pitfalls of executive presence, and the significance of setting boundaries in professional relationships.
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Start With The Main Concern
- Brené Brown uses grounded theory to start with people's main concern and build understanding from there.
- She spends weeks asking leaders what keeps them awake to design interventions that actually resolve those concerns.
Manage Up By Clarifying Success
- Ask managers what success looks like for them and then play back their priorities before requesting permission to lead.
- Use that alignment to propose specific actions you will take to help win and ask for permission to lead your team.
Use Playback To Check Assumptions
- Always play back the other person's priorities to create connection and clarity.
- Use the phrase "the story I'm making up" to surface assumptions and invite correction.
