​

​

Hello Reader,

​

In the past, I have shared my passion for Brené Brown's work. Her call to courage and vulnerability in leadership resonated with me since the day I discovered her first TedTalk. As I have coaching conversations with leaders everyday, I see how much her work is relatable to the situations they present to me. When she talks about vulnerability, she focuses on breaking down some of the myths around what courage truly means.

​

Brené often refers to a question she poses to her clients. "Can you think of a situation where you needed courage, and that did not involve a level of vulnerability?". Think about having a difficult conversation with a colleague, asking for a salary increase, deciding to change the trajectory of your career, speaking up for what you believe is the right thing to do.

​

Although we may have grown up thinking that vulnerability is weakness, her work demonstrates that there can be no courage without vulnerability. Vulnerability is defined as, "The emotion that we experience during times of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure". When we show up to engage and be seen, even when we cannot control the outcome.

​

I wanted to dig deeper into her work, and this is why I decided to attend a workshop with a certified "Dare to Lead" facilitator. In the next few editions of the EQRated, I am going to dive deeper into Brené Brown's work on courage, vulnerability & shame. I hope you will find them meaningful in these times filled with uncertainty and change.

As always, you can follow the discussion on our social media channels by clicking on the links below.

​

Here's our monthly resource list on Brené Brown's work on COURAGE & VULNERABILITY:

​

​7 Entrepreneurs Share Valuable Tips from Brené Brown's Leadership Keynote - Source: INC.com

Quick Take: If you are not familiar with her work, this is a good place to start. In this article 7 entrepreneurs share their reactions to Brené Brown's keynote address in San Antonio.

​

​What Courageous Leaders Do Differently - Source: HBR

Quick Take: "The leaders we need today surround themselves with, and promote, people who help them learn by challenging rather than flattering them. They reward rather than punish those who try new things, even when they don’t go well. They change outdated systems that exclude diverse perspectives. The leaders we need today demonstrate, rather than demand, courageous action."

​

​3 Ways Vulnerability Shapes Better Leaders - Source: Entrepreneur.com

Quick Take: "In her book Dare to Lead, Brene Brown says, "The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing. It's about the courage to show up when you can't predict or control the outcome." This sentiment is especially relevant for entrepreneurs. Founders can't always predict or control their company's path, but having the courage to be vulnerable and authentic with your team during tough times can forge a strong bond that lasts even if the company does not.

​

​Why Business Leaders Need to Ask More Difficult Questions - Source: Time

Quick Take: "We’re going to need leaders who are full of humility, or willing to ask questions, and maybe courageous questions that felt untouchable in the past. When you face an existential kind of threat, things that you thought and assumed were fixed and no longer are, will require adaptive business models, adaptive growth models and leaders will need to be able to use curiosity themselves, but also to indoctrinate and kind of build cultures of curiosity, to encourage their teams to be willing to chart into the unknown."

​

​

​

A quick reminder, we are switching to a monthly newsletter. You can expect to hear from us every second Tuesday of the month. If there is a topic that you would like to see featured, please do let us know. And of course, please feel free to share this newsletter with people you know who might find value in it. They can also subscribe to the EQrated by clicking the button below.

​

​

​

Hope you had a good summer. It's good to have you back!

Ciao,

Stef