What is a leader? Are leaders born, or do they develop their leadership abilities over time? What does it mean to be a leader? In this provocative book, Brown discusses the characteristics that all leaders possess, and explains how effective leadership is achieved. She begins by defining the word leader as someone "who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential" (p. 4). Effective leaders are those who can harness the capabilities and skills of the people they work with and channel them in a productive and positive direction.
She identifies several characteristics of effective leadership. A leader needs to embrace vulnerability. Courage and fear are not exclusive, and it's okay for leaders to not know all of the answers. Leaders approach problems by remaining curious, by staying focused on the problem but knowing when to take a break from problem-solving and returning at a later time. More than anything, leaders own the process and "listen with the same passion with which [they] want to be heard" (p. 10). They acknowledge other ideas, and give credit where it is due. A leader is self-aware and possesses self-love. Fear underpins many of the ineffective behaviors and underperforming corporate culture, and poor leaders fail not because they experience fear, but because they do not respond to it properly. Leaders have the difficult conversations because they either lead to improvement or to significant changes that benefit the team.
When taken together, these characteristics are indicative of how successful a leader will be guiding their team forward. Those who lead teams or who aspire to lead will benefit from reading Brown's advice to fostering a sense of courageous yet vulnerable climate where honesty and integrity are valued and contribute to the functioning of the enterprise.
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