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BRAVING Inventory – Dare to Lead

by delucaw1 in Tips

I’ve been spending time with the concept of conscious leadership.  I’ve recently revisited Brene Brown’s Dare To Lead book.  She defines a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential.  To do this one needs to be aware, present and committed. In other words, conscious. I’ll be unpacking Brene’s concepts in this series. Today, we’ll talk about braving trust by unpacking the BRAVING inventory.  

Overview:

Brene outlines daring (conscious) leadership as a collection of four skill sets that are 100% teachable, observable, and measurable. She begins with the foundational skill set.  The foundational skill set of courage-building is “rumbling with vulnerability.”   The other three skill sets: Living into Our Values,  Braving Trust, and Learning to Rise.

Trust as a “Must have” in a ‘must-avoid’ environment:

Since most of us avoid talking about trust, then what are we to do to solve it? Taking the BRAVING Inventory is a recommended step. BRAVING is an acronym that comprises the behaviors that define trust. It’s a great rumbling tool.  Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Non-judgement and Generosity. I’ll talk about the “VING’ in next week’s blog.

B is for Boundaries:

Clarity is kind!  Sharing your personal ‘limits’,  hot-buttons or operating requirements is a kind thing to do, as a leader, partner, and friend. Often boundaries have a negative connotation.  The actual definition, according to Webster’s Dictionary, a boundary is a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line.  Dr. Cloud, in his book, Boundaries shares that a boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not.

Boundaries, on the BRAVING Inventory, means that “you respect my boundaries and when you are not clear about what’s ok and not ok, you ask.  You are willing to say no.” So, my parents just recently had a small house fire, on my Dad’s 78th birthday, no less. Thankfully, we are all safe and there is no structural damage to their house.  As a result, my parents have been staying with me for the past couple of weeks. Now, as a single person living alone, I don’t have to communicate my boundary for my early AM routine, i.e reflection, meditation, and intention setting. But since my parents are with me I had to share my boundary that my AM time is sacred.  In other words, if the office door is closed, please don’t knock and enter. Previously, as you can guess, they were knockers and enter-ers.

R is for Reliability:

Reliability is doing what you say you’ll do.  Brown shares “At work, this means staying aware of your competencies and limitations so you don’t over-promise and are able to deliver on commitments and balance competing priorities”.  I’m a recovering ‘yes’ person. My team pointed out that I had a tendency to say yes to requests then figure out how to get it done. Often I underestimated what was involved.  It was driving my team nuts. Delivering on time, on budget with a high degree of quality feels even better than saying ‘yes’ to everything.  I like and value reliability!

A is for Accountability:

Brown defines accountability as ‘you own your mistakes, apologize, and make amends’.  I made a mistake during my last ‘tour of duty’ at Google. I miscommunicated during a tenuous reorganization.  It was a lesson on what not to do on many levels. That said, it was my error, I owned it! It was uncomfortable, and guess what, that passed quickly.  In conclusion, accountability means answerable for your actions and outcomes.

I dare you to lead!  We only have a finite amount of time on this planet, and you can choose how to spend that time. Is it hard for you to trust yourself, others? It would be amazing to rumble with trust and allow yourself the time and space to explore how this may be helping or hurting your career.  Anoush Shafique, Director of the London School of Economics shares “In the past jobs were about muscles, now they are about brains, but in the future, they will be about the heart.”

Are you ready?:  Press HERE for Success

I wish you much success in your career quest.  Yours in balance, learning, growth, and harmony.  – Melissa DeLuca, CEO