Developing Courageous Cultures

Leadership phenomenon brené brown explains how leading with bravery begins with vulnerability – and warns that failure is all part of the ride.

- Ruth Devine

It’s a wild night in Houston. There’s a heavy thunderstorm rolling in over the Texan skies when Brené Brown, author of five Number 1 The New York Times bestsellers, calls, but despite the line cutting out and the ominous sound of thunder and pelting rain echoing over the phone, Brown could not be more sunny.

The truth is, what you see of her in interviews or as she commands the stage presenting TED talks and, most recently, in the justly celebrated Netflix special The Call to Courage, is exactly what you get in person. Brown is just as warm, engaging and entertaining as she is passionate about shame, vulnerability and empathy – subjects which she’s made it her life’s work to study.

The University of Houston professor has spent 20 years studying how these states of mind, traditionally perceived as weaknesses, impact not only ourselves but how we relate to each other and now, with her new book Dare to Lead, she’s honing in on how and why these supposed fragilities not historically associated with strong leadership can and, crucially, should be embraced by leaders across the globe.