2018, by Brene Brown
I’m a huge fan of Brene Brown’s work and I’ve only recently had the opportunity to do a deep dive into a number of her books. I listened to Dare to Lead in the audio format, and loved the fact that she read personally rather than hiring an voice actor. I felt like she and I were having a personal conversation about what it takes to be a courageous leader. Her approach is tough, personal and of course vulnerable. She’s a researcher so the insight and wisdom she conveys transcends personal experience. This book articulates the intersection point between what it means to be human, and what it means to be a leader. I found that she, like Susan Scott’s work Fierce Leadership, articulated many of the issues and dynamics that come up with coaching clients so I believe any leader would identify with this book. In fact, I doubt you will be able to read this book without being challenged to grow some aspect of your leadership. Brown has woven in the best wisdom from her previous books so feel free to read her work in any order that interests you. She refers to her famous TED talk on vulnerability in 2012 so I’ve provided the link if you’re curious.