{"id":22661,"date":"2019-04-11T19:47:40","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T02:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=22661"},"modified":"2019-04-11T19:47:40","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T02:47:40","slug":"i-dare-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/i-dare-you\/","title":{"rendered":"I Dare You!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret to the LGP8\u2019s that I hold Bren\u00e9 Brown in high regard.\u00a0 She holds three social work degrees \u2013 BSW, MSW, and PhD from the University of Houston – and is credentialed at the highest level in Social Work practice.\u00a0 At her core, she is a passionate researcher, which is a highly espoused value in the social work field.\u00a0 Research is directly connected to ethical practice.\u00a0 Research is directly connected to lifelong learning.\u00a0 And research is directly connected to credibility.\u00a0 When I highlighted the issue of credibility concerns amongst evangelicals in my review of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind<\/em> and Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind,<\/em> by Noll, I reinforced the following concepts connected to ensuring credibility – deliver results; be transparent; make tough calls; be consistent; and lead by example.\u00a0 Even though these credibility tenets were delivered in a presentation by Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright, Bren\u00e9 Brown\u2019s research on courageous leadership supports Wright\u2019s leadership structure.<\/p>\n

Not everyone has the same affinity towards Bren\u00e9 Brown that I do.\u00a0 In online reviews there seemed to be a common feeling that \u201c\u2026it was the same information from those two books [Daring Greatly <\/em>and Rising Strong<\/em>] repackaged and rebranded for organizational leaders. I made it through about 80 pages before realizing it felt like a slog that wasn’t really offering me anything new or original.\u00a0 As a disclaimer, if you’re a person in a leadership position who has never read Daring Greatly or Rising Strong, this book probably has a lot to offer you. But for me, it just didn’t have anything new.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Even though I\u2019ve read and taught the content of all of Bren\u00e9 Brown\u2019s prior texts, I am still inspired by the \u201cnew\u201d content.\u00a0 Yes there are threads of similarity, but those similarities reinforce the research which clearly identifies vulnerability and courage as key components of functioning well.\u00a0 \u201cSelf-Awareness and self-love matter.\u00a0 Who we are is how we lead.\u00a0 The greatest barrier to courageous leadership\u00a0is not fear\u2014it\u2019s how we respond to our fear. Our armor\u2014the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that we use to protect ourselves when we aren\u2019t willing and able to rumble with vulnerability\u2014move us out of alignment with our values, corrode trust with our colleagues and teams, and prevent us from being our most courageous selves.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 So regardless of your situation \u2013 parent, partner, leader, employee, church member, child, student, community member, and\/or friend \u2013 the same principles exist.\u00a0 And Dare to Lead <\/em>is an excellent leadership manual which continues to reinforce the same evidenced based research in its specific context.<\/p>\n

In prior blogs I\u2019ve referenced the outstanding leadership conference (NCLS) I attended in February.\u00a0 One of the highlights of the conference was hearing Bren\u00e9 Brown present on this very text.\u00a0 Her presentation was powerful \u2013 she was presenting to a room of almost 3000 \u2013 and every single person was engaged.\u00a0 As she spoke, I tried to capture her wisdom manually (she does not permit recordings or videos).\u00a0 \u00a0There were so many profound statements she made \u2013 and here are my favorites pertaining to leadership:<\/p>\n