Courage To Lead

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. 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. But daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we’re choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we’re scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can’t do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection, and courage, to start. Four-time #1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? In this new book, Brown uses research, stories, and examples to answer these questions in the no-BS style that millions of readers have come to expect and love. Brown writes, “One of the most important findings of my career is that daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100 percent teachable, observable, and measurable. It’s learning and unlearning that requires brave work, tough conversations, and showing up with your whole heart. Easy? No. Because choosing courage over comfort is not always our default. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and our work. It’s why we’re here.” Whether you’ve read Daring Greatly and Rising Strong or you’re new to Brené Brown’s work, this book is for anyone who wants to step up and into brave leadership.

In management, sales, team building, parenting, or relationships, leadership will be the deciding factor for those who win. The inspiring novel is about a woman with extraordinary courage & vision & her attempt, in a strange twist of fate, to show a man how to become a leader. The most important aspects of leadership: credibility, caring, confrontation, responsibility, & trust are woven throughout a fascinating story with remarkable characters. Although written for adults, this book has been used in a major university business school class on organizational behavior & has gotten extremely high marks for being an easy & enjoyable way to learn the important basics of leadership. Some quotes: "Inspiring Advice"- Teresa Godwin Phelps, author of The Coach's Wife... "excellent allegory on courage and leadership"- L.J. Hulber, President & CEO, Day Timers Inc... "Farrell's imaginative novel offers a unique role model"-Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of When Giants Learn To Dance... "a valuable lesson about transforming managers into leaders, & leaders into champions."- Mac Anderson, President & CEO, Successories,Inc. Printed by Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, MI. Falcon Books (1-800-932-8693) Fax (803-731-5651).

To transform society, we first need to transform ourselves. The Courage to Lead starts from this premise and delivers a strong, simple message: if you relate authentically to life, to yourself, to the world and to society, you start the process of social change. Grounded in more than fifty years of in-depth research and practical experience in over thirty nations, The Courage to Lead uses a large canvas to paint a vivid picture of leadership in its many forms: personal, family, work, organization, community. Activist stories from around the world demonstrate the profound premise and inspires a deep understanding of leadership. This is a book that changes lives. These days, the complexity of life tends to leave us paralyzed. The Courage to Lead will help people move out of their paralysis and invite them to join the ranks of those social pioneers who create what is needed for the 21st century. This book speaks to you in a strange language that you do not at first remember but that you will eventually recognize as your mother tongue. David Patterson CEO, Northwater Capital Management The Courage to Lead provided me with a great deal of guidance and support at a time when I needed to make significant life decisions. It also provided me with a framework and a language to better understand who I am, where I needed to be and where I wanted to go. I recommend this course to anyone who is open to a transformative experience in which one brings many important life questions into focus. Garret Keown Teacher-in-Training, Lakehead University 325 University Health Network (UHN) staff have participated in The Courage to Lead study program over the last five years. The fundamental principles in the book align with our belief that "everyone can lead from where they stand." We think that leadership is not about a formal role or job title but about a philosophy, values and attitude in how one approaches life. This program has helped staff tap into the leader within themselves and, in doing so, has supported our mission to deliver excellent patient-centered care. Irene Wright Senior Development Manager, Human Resources, University Health Network

An inspirational, practical, and research-based guide for standing up and speaking out skillfully at work. Have you ever wanted to disagree with your boss? Speak up about your company's lack of diversity or unequal pay practices? Make a tough decision you knew would be unpopular? We all have opportunities to be courageous at work. But since courage requires risk—to our reputations, our social standing, and, in some cases, our jobs—we often fail to act, which leaves us feeling powerless and regretful for not doing what we know is right. There's a better way to handle these crucial moments—and Choosing Courage provides the moral imperative and research-based tactics to help you become more competently courageous at work. Doing for courage what Angela Duckworth has done for grit and Brene Brown for vulnerability, Jim Detert, the world's foremost expert on workplace courage, explains that courage isn't a character trait that only a few possess; it's a virtue developed through practice. And with the right attitude and approach, you can learn to hone it like any other skill and incorporate it into your everyday life. Full of stories of ordinary people who've acted courageously, Choosing Courage will give you a fresh perspective on the power of voicing your authentic ideas and opinions. Whether you’re looking to make a mark, stay true to your values, act with more integrity, or simply grow as a professional, this is the guide you need to achieve greater impact at work.

Leadership doesn’t happen without courage. In fact, leadership might be defined as "courage in action." But the truth is that courage is poorly understood and not what you typically think. In their second original short format work, Finding the Courage to Lead, James Kouzes and Barry Posner offer a perspective on what ordinary leaders say about what courage is to them, and what their courageous experiences mean for the daily practice of leadership. Courage is one of those big, bold words. It has the reputation of being something way out there on the edges of human experience, commonly associated with superhuman feats, life-and-death struggles, and overcoming impossible odds. It gives rise to images of daring feats of bravery and nerves of steel. It has such a mystique about it that many think the concept doesn’t apply to them. But, when you look beyond the headlines, you find out that this account of courage is certainly not the whole story. There is very little relevant discussion of courage in the leadership literature. For all the talk about how leaders need to be courageous, there is next to nothing written about what it really means for leadership. Grounded in award-winning original research and rich with insight, Finding the Courage to Lead is valuable for leaders at any level to understand how courage shapes our leadership potential on and off the job, and is required reading for any fans of Kouzes & Posner's work.

There is an epidemic of dissension in our world today. Dysfunction leads the news footage. Educational systems don't teach the next generation how to succeed. When people are called upon to lead, they follow instead. They follow the news, the crowds, the fads, the latest curriculum's, and the whims of politicians. The Courage to Lead explains what it takes to stand up. It does not take much. When people can muster up even a pinky's worth of courage and follow the Five C's of Leadership, a world-wide shift can occur. What are the Five C's of Leadership? Compassion, Character, Critical Thinking, Common Sense, and Courage. It's time to Stand Up and Speak up. Learn how and why in The Courage to Lead.

The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 18 Minutes unlocks the secrets of highly successful leaders and pinpoints the missing ingredient that makes all the difference You have the opportunity to lead: to show up with confidence, connected to others, and committed to a purpose in a way that inspires others to follow. Maybe it’s in your workplace, or in your relationships, or simply in your own life. But great leadership—leadership that aligns teams, inspires action, and achieves results—is hard. And what makes it hard isn’t theoretical, it’s practical. It’s not about knowing what to say or do. It’s about whether you’re willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it. In other words, the most critical challenge of leadership is emotional courage. If you are willing to feel everything, you can do anything. Leading with Emotional Courage, based on the author’s popular blogs for Harvard Business Review, provides practical, real-world advice for building your emotional courage muscle. Each short, easy to read chapter details a distinct step in this emotional “workout,” giving you grounded advice for handling the difficult situations without sacrificing professional ground. By building the courage to say the necessary but difficult things, you become a stronger leader and leave the “should’ves” behind. Theoretically, leadership is straightforward, but how many people actually lead? The gap between theory and practice is huge. Emotional courage is what bridges that gap. It’s what sets great leaders apart from the rest. It gets results. It cuts through the distractions, the noise, and the politics to solve problems and get things done. This book is packed with actionable steps you can take to start building these skills now. Have the courage to speak up when others remain silent Be stable and grounded in the face of uncertainty Respond productively to opposition without getting distracted Weather others’ anger without shutting down or getting defensive Leading with Emotional Courage coaches you to build your emotional courage, exercise it effectively, and create an environment in which people around you take accountability to get hard things done.

The introduction of outcomes-based education has necessitated a change in the leadership structures within schools. New education policies have been introduced that are intended to delegate far more authority and responsibility for leadership and management to school leaders than has been the case before. This book draws on the Teacher In-service Project’s experience of working with school leaders who have been engaged in the process of making the adjustment. It challenges school leaders to reflect critically on their own approaches to leadership. The book offers a learning process, rather than merely providing tips or describing facts. It is a companion text to The Learning School, as it offers a practical application of the theory and principles espoused in that text.