Brené Brown on courageous leadership | ReThinking with Adam Grant

Overview

Brené Brown and Adam Grant discuss the research and practical frameworks behind courageous leadership, drawing on Brown's grounded theory background and her Dare to Lead work. The conversation covers how to identify core values through sacrifice rather than preference, how to operationalize those values into daily behaviors, and how specific communication techniques — the playback, the story you're making up, and managing up — translate courage into organizational performance.

Key takeaways

• Values are not what you care about but what you consistently sacrifice for when it costs you something.
• Identify two core values by asking which ones serve as the foundation from which all other values are forged.
• Operationalize each value into specific behaviors and track the physical and emotional signals when you drift out of alignment.
• Use the phrase "the story I'm making up is" to surface assumptions before they damage trust or spiral into resentment.
• Managing up works best by playing back your leader's priorities accurately, then explicitly requesting permission to lead your team your way.

Worth quoting

• "Playing not to lose is always losing."
• "I don't talk about people, I talk to people."
• "Just because the concept is more popular doesn't mean the behavior is more popular."