Dare to Lead - By Brene Brown
The last thing I ever wanted to do was start a business. I walked into my tax advisor’s office, asking him a few questions about some potential work in the future when he tells me, “you should start an LLC.” I left his office still doubting if this was the road for me, yet figured there couldn’t be any harm in following up on his referral to a lawyer who assists with setting up business entities. Next thing I know - I started a business in speaking, coaching, and consulting. There have been many days during the process that I questioned what I was doing. I finally hit that moment of either running in complete disobedience or caving to what seemed to be obvious to everyone, but me - and that was that God kept pathing a way for me to overcome such fearful defiance into the very unknown and scary territory of this new path.
My biggest challenge through opening my own business was my vulnerability. I loathe social media, and yet I was learning that in order to truly launch my new business strong I had to not only embrace social media but engage daily in it. This felt raw and naked. Allowing not just the selected few into my life, but everyone. I felt guarded, yet knew those walls had to come down. Such feelings of fear and vulnerability made me think of Brene Brown’s book Dare to Lead. In this book the author tells us “Courage and fear are not mutually exclusive” and that “our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability.”
Throughout the book the author teaches the reader to observe and measure four skill sets:
Rumbling with Vulnerability
Living into Our Values
Braving Trust
Learning to Rise
The author not only helps us work through tough conversations and stay aligned with our values, but to choose courage over comfort, and to be reminded that calm is contagious. The author packs some great accountability pieces within the book such as the braving acronym, a list of values for self-application, the rumbling story with applicable reflection questions, and even access to worksheets through her listed website. The book continues to challenge us to face our fears of leadership, what is holding us back from those honest conversations, those moments of trust, and the exposure of our hearts. The continuous theme of daring leadership is unraveled throughout the entire book as we, the readers, are encouraged to take courage and embrace the vulnerability of leadership.
That’s when I made the connection between my business start and the purpose of this book. When I earned my Master's degree people kept asking me what I wanted to do with it and I’d reply, “I just want to love on people.” My passion is simply to serve others. I want to help those who feel misunderstood to be validated and heard. To invest and develop others so that they can better achieve their goals, to grow both personally and professionally. I want to use my experiences both painful and successful, joys, and sorrows, to intentionally pour into others. I want to help other people shine - and when I do that, I feel my purpose is fulfilled too.
So if starting this company is God’s avenue to allow me to continue to love on others, then even in the midst of complete vulnerability - I will dare to lead.
Purchase Dare to Lead now on Amazon.
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