Over the last few years, professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host, Brene Brown, has made a big splash in the world of personal development. Through her work, Brown has covered persuasive topics like vulnerability, leadership, and the gifts of imperfection.
The information on core values shared in her book, Dare to Lead, has become incredibly popular in the workplace.
Are you interested in identifying your values and becoming a better leader for your team? If so, read on to learn more about Brene Brown's 4 components of effective leadership and how you can implement them today.
What Are the 4 Components of Effective Leadership?
To become a more effective leader, it helps first to understand the components of effective leadership that Brown lays out in her book. These are the elements that she uses and encourages others to use in leadership training programs:
1. Rumbling with Vulnerability
For many people, the first word that comes to mind when they hear the name Brene Brown is "vulnerability." Brown is well-known for her remarks on vulnerability, which was the subject of her hit Ted Talk.
In Dare to Lead, Brown emphasizes the importance of "rumbling with vulnerability" in the workplace. When both leaders and team members are willing to be vulnerable, they're more likely to come up with good ideas and feel confident sharing those ideas with others.
It's imperative to create a culture in the workplace in which team members can feel safe. Employees need to know that their ideas are valuable to communicate and, when they do speak up, that they will be treated with respect by leadership.
Proper coaching is necessary for leaders to learn active listening and emotional intelligence to foster a safe work environment.
2. Living into Our Values
According to Brown, leaders need to identify their core values. It's not enough for them to simply rely on the company's values. They need to figure out what matters most to them, personally.
Brown recommends picking just two values. If the list of values is too long, it's hard to focus and actually work on embodying those values in your day-to-day actions.
Speaking of actions, once you've identified your core values, you need to find ways to translate them into behaviors. You need to choose specific practices that embody the values you set and help you show up for your team members in the best way.
Keep in mind that your values do not have to be the same as Brown's list of values. You need to decide what matters most to you and to the success of your team.
3. Braving Trust
Without trust, it's impossible for vulnerability to exist. Your team needs to trust you and know that you have their backs. If they're going to perform to the best of their abilities, you need to make them feel comfortable and heard.
According to Brown, there are seven crucial elements of trust. They are as follows:
- Boundaries: Respecting the boundaries others have set and asking what's okay when something is unclear.
- Reliability: Doing what you say you will do.
- Accountability: Owning mistakes, being willing to apologize, and making amends.
- Vault: Not sharing information or experiences that don't belong to you.
- Integrity: Choosing to be courageous instead of staying comfortable.
- Nonjudgement: Being able to talk about how one feels and asking for help without fear of judgment.
- Generosity: Assuming that people generally have good intentions and mean well with their words and actions.
Clearly, there's a lot that goes into fostering trust as a leader among your team members. If you remember these different elements, though, it'll be easier to adopt Brown's values and teachings and make them a part of your workplace.
4. Learning to Rise
Finally, Brown emphasizes the importance of resilience and learning to rise when something doesn't go according to plan. She breaks down the process of learning to rise into the following stages:
- The Reckoning: Acknowledging the fact that we're emotionally hooked, then getting curious about that fact.
- The Rumble: Identifying the stories (many of which are untrue and based on fear or insecurity) that we may tell ourselves to comprehend difficult situations.
- The Revolution: Doing the work and carrying out the other practices outlined above to revolutionize our leadership methods.
The process of becoming an effective leader is challenging, and it'll take a lot of work to implement these 4 components of effective leadership into your day-to-day practices in the office.
But, if you're consistent, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
How to Implement the 4 Components of Effective Leadership
At first, the idea of completing a core values exercise or taking other steps to create your own Dare to Lead values list might seem intimidating. For those who are unsure of how to implement the 4 components of effective leadership into their lives and practices in the workplace, here are some tips that can help:
Remember, the goal is to become a better leader, not a perfect one. You're going to make mistakes, and that's okay. Foster an environment where you, and your team, can fail honestly. The point of all this is to improve your leadership skills, own your mistakes, and learn from them.
Become a Better Leader Today
Now that you know more about the 4 components of effective leadership, thanks to Brene Brown, it's time to get to work! Implementing these elements of good leadership into your life and identifying your own values can take you a long way when it comes to improving your abilities as a leader and helping your team to thrive.
If you need more help with leadership training, request a demo of our custom management and leadership training program at Unboxed Training & Technology. Learn more about our various employee training programs to improve your employees’ performance today.
We can't wait to help you find the perfect program for you and your team!
Get advice from an industry expert about the best practices
and potential pitfalls about transitioning to virtual training.
