The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
By Brené Brown
The author returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership. In a time of deep uncertainty, bluster, hubris and even cruelty are increasingly being accepted as acceptable leadership traits. However, the author delivers practical and actionable insights.
These insights illuminate the mindsets and skill sets leaders need to reclaim focus and drive growth through connection, discipline and accountability.
Over the past six years, Brené Brown and a global community of coaches and facilitators have guided more than 150,000 leaders across 45 countries through her Dare to Lead courage-building work.
Leadership for an age of uncertainty
In Strong Ground, Brown shares lessons from these experiences. She also draws on wisdom from other thinkers. Strong Ground serves as a vital playbook for everyone, from senior leaders executing complex strategies to Gen Z professionals navigating turbulent workplaces. Moreover, it offers an unflinching assessment of what happens when people continue to perpetuate the falsehood that performance and wholeheartedness are mutually exclusive.
With equal measures of optimism and caution about Artificial Intelligence (AI), Brown writes, “I hear a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous simply because, right now, we’re not especially good at what makes us human.
We’re not hardwired for this level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. This is why organisational transformation today must foster deep connection, deep thinking and deep collaboration. We need the courage to lead people in a way that honours and protects the wisdom of the human spirit.
Finding our strong ground
Strong Ground presents a comprehensive assessment of the mindsets and capabilities leaders need to move forward. Brown highlights the importance of respectful yet difficult conversations. She also emphasises productive urgency and smart prioritisation instead of reactivity. In addition, she advocates for strategic risk-taking, paradoxical thinking and situational and anticipatory awareness.
Brown identifies the toughest skill set as the discipline, humility and confidence required to unlearn and relearn. According to Strong Ground, leaders must develop these capabilities if they hope to navigate increasingly complex environments with courage and clarity.
Individuals and organisations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground, that athletic stance, is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.
About the author
Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. She holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also serves as Professor of Practice in Management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.
She is the author of six number-one New York Times bestsellers and the host of two award-winning podcasts. In 2024, BetterUp named her executive director of The Centre for Daring Leadership.
- PUBLISHER | Penguin Random House SA |
- ISBN | 9781785043208 |
- Recommended Retail Price | R585.00 |
- Classification | Leadership |
