Dare to Lead

Brown’s exploration of vulnerability in workplace relationships is a core theme in her work. She defines vulnerability as having the courage to reveal your own fears, doubts, and shortcomings in order to communicate honestly with others and grow as a person and professional. Brown contrasts this approach with an “armored” persona. This psychological armor, which may manifest itself as arrogance, defensiveness, or shaming others, is a result of our egotistical instinct to protect ourselves from criticism, judgment, and failure.

One of Brown’s main arguments in Dare to Lead is that while vulnerability may feel frightening, engaging with it is an essential part of self-growth and communicating honestly with others. Brown claims that if employees do not feel safe to act vulnerably, workplaces can easily become mired with distrust and miscommunication. According to Brown, this workplace dysfunction not only results in poor mental health outcomes for staff but also often results in poorer company performance overall.

Vulnerable leadership is the answer to these problems, and Brown’s tools such as Permission Slips, Turn and Learn, and BRAVING are all ways to encourage staff to shed their “armor” and communicate vulnerably. She writes, “Our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability. Once we start to build vulnerability skills, we can start to develop the other skill sets” (11). While courage, candid communication, and imaginative thinking are all important to Brown’s vision of positive leadership, she explains that none of these skills are possible without embracing vulnerability.

Brown’s mantra, “Clear is kind, unclear is unkind,” confronts our societal taboos regarding workplace etiquette and demonstrates her commitment to honest communication in the workplace (47). Throughout the text, Brown argues that leaders and employees often avoid candid conversations by convincing themselves that their honest feedback would be considered rude or harsh. However, the author posits that this is merely an excuse to avoid social discomfort and in the long run is harmful to professional development. Brown explains that it is “unkind” if you neglect to have a difficult conversation about workplace performance with your colleague yet still hold them accountable for their work (48).

The author explores our societal tendency to share blame and complaints with others while avoiding direct confrontation with the responsible party. While this is a typical behavior in many families and workplaces, Brown wants to change our perceptions of how honest exchanges can improve relationships. She writes, “Talking about people rather than to them is unkind” (48). She claims that by clearly communicating constructive criticism you give your colleagues the opportunity to learn and improve.

Brown acknowledges that one reason some professionals hesitate to communicate openly with others is their fear of judgment or rejection. She writes, “[People feel that] If I’m honest with them about what’s happening, they’ll think less of me or maybe even use it against me” (51). Brown argues that while being honest requires courage, candid conversations usually benefit everyone involved by providing clear expectations and building mutual trust.