Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Dare to Lead is the seventh book written by researcher Brené Brown. This time, we are invited to take a deeper look into the world of leadership.
Firstly, Brené is an amazing storyteller who knows how to present the topic in an interesting way. It is clear she doesn’t shy away from her own mistakes as she uses them to help the reader understand what it means to lead a team of people and how can it be done better. The reader will find a bunch of useful tips on how to deal with miscommunication, negative feedback, and overall frustration in the workplace. And no, it is not only for leaders. Do you want to know how to deal with a manager who has no clue how to treat their employees right? Grab this book and start reading, maybe you will be able to navigate their unconstructive criticism in a way that won’t get you fired.
Unfortunately, I struggled with some structural elements of the book. The reader must prepare themselves to read case studies on big corporations and how improved leadership brought them more revenue. If you are like me, it might rub you the wrong way to hear how many millions XYZ company have made thanks to ‘improvements in productivity and communication’. I guess it must have made sense to mention these examples as real proof of positive changes. At the end of the day, this book is about prospering businesses not the evilness of corporations.
Ultimately, this is a book you wish your manager read, but I bet they didn’t. It gives you an insight into how things could look like and be, but they often don’t. And if you are a leader, please have a read. It is never too late to learn to do things the right way.