I recently read Brené Brown’s latest, Strong Ground. I’m a big fan of her previous work, and I often recommend Daring to Lead to leaders. What really resonated for me, reading Strong Ground, was how she named, affirmed, and sharpened language for work I have been circling myself recently. It’s affirming to have a scholar of Brené Brown’s caliber looking at similar things in similar ways, even if our approach and perspective are different. Here are a few connections I found helpful.
Grounded Confidence and Courageous Humility
One of the most central ideas in Brown’s work is what she calls grounded confidence. This paradox (something we both love) reminded me of what I call courageous humility.
We’re talking about a similar powerful blend of leadership (and living) capacities. The capacity to act with courage and confidence while remaining deeply grounded, self-aware, and open to learning. Not bravado. Not self-doubt. Something sturdier and more human.
Leadership That Requires More Than Technique
Brown writes that leading in today’s context requires “a deep, broad, and disciplined commitment to individual change, team change, culture change, and systems change.” I love this quote.
I couldn’t agree more. Leadership today is not only a technical challenge with a clean solution. It also isn’t a hands-on, head-in-the-clouds activity. Transformational leadership is layered, relational, and ongoing. It asks something of who we are, not just what we do.
Mindsets and Skillsets
In Strong Ground, Brown consistently references the blend of mindsets and skillsets. This mirrors how I think about leadership. In podcast conversations, I am often drawn to leaders and scholars who offer both broad approaches to challenges and tangible strategies to apply.
Big picture orientation matters. So do practical tools. Inner work without action stalls. Action without inner work can cause harm. Strong leadership lives in the integration. Here are a few reminders I often use that kept returning to me throughout Strong Ground.
- “Leadership is a process, not a position.“
- “Who are you becoming?”
- “Always striving, never arriving.”
- “Self-awareness without self-management is just an excuse.”
Multiple Levels of Leadership
Brown also brings in short snippets from others. One from Dan Pink described symphonic leadership, differentiating between the bassoon player’s skill and the conductor’s integration. This maps with our three levels of leadership in Evolve: operational, strategic, and visionary. Perhaps we need to extend this metaphor to the bassoon player as operational, the conductor as strategic, and the artistic director as visionary. Each role is essential. Each requires different capacities. Confusion between them is one of the quieter sources of burnout and misalignment for senior leaders.
A preview from Aiko Bethea’s forthcoming work on great leaders being anchored, aligned, and accountable further echoed this. Anchored in values. Aligned in action. Accountable to impact. Especially relevant in moments when pressure tempts leaders to grasp for control instead of returning to our center.
Standing on Shared Ground
Reading Strong Ground reminded me that good leadership work rarely belongs to one voice or framework. It is built through conversation, resonance, and refinement across disciplines. Brown models this with all the voices she credits with her learning and thinking. Her writing also got me thinking.
Reflection Questions
- You might consider spending a few minutes with one or two of these:
- What does grounded confidence or courageous humility mean to you?
- How are you leading at different levels?
- How could you live into leadership that was more anchored, aligned, and accountable?
