Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Powerful, and Authentic Self to Get the Results You Need

by Kimberly Davis

This book will help readers be brave. While we may think that we need to follow some kind of prescription to get results, the most amazing leaders are those who dare to be their true selves, powerfully. People want to give them their best. But in a business world that’s so competitive and uncertain, how do you connect with others more authentically to tap into their illusive want? Brave Leadership is the essential guide for leaders in today’s every-shifting world. Wherever you are in your leadership journey—new, seasoned, young, or old—if you aspire to be the best leader you can be, then this book is for you. It will help you • Uncover your barriers to brave • Escape overwhelm and frustration and learn to manage stress and anxiety • Prepare for high-stakes meetings and conversations • Have the influence you want to have • Set the direction of your career • Connect powerfully • Feel more confident, courageous, satisfied, and purposeful • Tap into the want of the people you lead to get the results you need On a quest to make these powerful conversations more accessible, professional-actress-turned-leadership-educator Kimberly Davis shares the transformative tools she uses in her workshops to help thousands of leaders worldwide. Drawing from years of working with leaders of all experience levels and industries and the latest research in psychology, sociology, business, and the arts, this provocative and inspiring book bridges traditional business how-to with a personal development approach to demystify what it takes to be the brave leader you were born to be.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Management

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 16, 2018

Reviews

[Karren Hodgkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I found the writing style rather dry. As I worked through the book, the content was quite familiar,As the author references several leading thinkers whose work I have read extensively. I found this broader, less-detailed approach was not for me.

I am very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

[Melanie Brewster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clearly, this book is made for a very niche population: white men. Where to even start?

It's fascinating that a "leadership coach" who values "empowerment" can write a book that fails to include discussions on GENDER and RACE (take a quick look at the index if you don't believe me) when we know that demographic factors are some of the primary drivers of success in the world of work.

Eight chapters in: all chapters (except one) have started out with an inspirational quote from a man—many of them ethically questionable (i.e., José Saramago, LBJ, Emil Cioran, the fictional Fraiser Crane).

Only one of the cover endorsements of #BraveLeadership was from a woman, and this blurb was not on the cover but the second (and last) page of the list of endorsements. This also shouldn’t be a shock, but *every single one* of the cover endorsements was from a white person.

And we wonder why sexism and racism pervades in the world of work? Not even ‘empowerment’ books are free of major bias.

[Laura Freeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not usually much of a business/general management reader, but I can highly recommend this book to most everyone. Other than the section on Super-objective, most everything in this book is information you hopefully already know. But what is well done is how she presents the information. She helps to explain why we feel so overwhelmed at work trying to achieve more with less resources. She identifies practical tactics on how to lead and participate at work in a way that is the best reflection of yourself.

I love the idea of Super-objective. We all have goals and objectives at work, but in this 24/7, highly demanding work environment, a Super-objective helps us stay focused on what can make the most impact.

I listened to this on Audible. It was a great way to start my workday by focusing on how I could leverage my strengths and help influence the environment around me.

Although I may wish for leaders around me to live by the principles in this book, I only need myself to live by these principles in order for me to have a daily impact on my environment and those I work with.

[Pam Venne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kimberly Davis walks off the pages and into your life as she coaches you to be authentic and brave in your leadership style and personal relationships. At the end of each chapter, she provides a summary with outstanding points and exercises.

It is an easy read leadership book that needs to be gobbled in one bite and then digested slowly in small bits. Change does not happen overnight and therefore I will need to come back to this book many times.

Unlike other leadership books, Kimberly uses her personal stories to bring you into her life and share her vulnerabilities makes this book real. This approach made it more appealing and credible than one from a purely academic approach.

Thanks, Kimberly for taking the risk to be BRAVE and share yourself within the pages of BRAVE LEADERSHIP. It is the best book in this venue that is out there.

[Mukesh Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that will speak to you if you are looking to make the leap from being a manager managing things to a leader who gets people to follow their dreams and do great work...

Kimberly brings her experience of being an actor on stage (leaders are but actors on stage, always) to the forefront and speaks from this perspective, which I honestly enjoyed..

While some parts of the book could have been edited out, as they didnt add too much to the content, overall, it was a good book to read...

[Debra Sanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kimberly's casual friendly style. When I read her books I feel like I am in her presence listening to her tell the stories in person. She lifts me up and inspires me to be BRAVE and step into my leadership roles. She brings real live experiences to illustrate her points and gives the reader the front line story from the broadroom.

[Tom Dietzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is simply a "must" read. Kimberly Davis has assembled a master class in the art of being brave. It's not about being courageous in a wartime type battle, it's regarding the little ways and big ways in which we need to face life bravely. Kimberly has been doing leadership seminars for many years with here "Onstage Leadership" platform is well versed in what it takes to bring our best selves to leadership positions - to any kind of position. Every chapter has a story about breakthroughs that she has experienced or pivotal moments in her seminars or with working with some of the biggest companies in the US. She ends each chapter with key takeaways that cement the highly informative and very readable material that she has so efficiently package. At 312 pages you'd be able to breeze through it a couple reading sessions, but chew on her insights and the wide breadth of her experience, as she has drawn upon other authors who have pondered leadership such as Daniel Pink, and from her extensive experience in the theater. Her writing is not full of jargon and wordiness and you can feel the warmth of her writing and you just know that Kimberly would be a wonderful and welcome companion for coffee or sitting by a fire for heartfelt discussion on any topic. I heartily recommend this excellent book.

[Carolyn Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much content in this book has been better addressed in other writers’ works. There were a few good ideas and certainly we all benefit from a reminder to be genuine and connect with others - our audience, co-workers, customers, etc. but the book dragged on too much for me to benefit fully from those thoughts.

[Andrea Dumont · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get very far. Half of the text is her asking rhetorical questions. There's some good info but it's all recycled from people like Brene Brown. Made it about 50 pages before I decided to put it down.

[Jarod Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really opened my eyes to how we lead and how we connect with those around us. More importantly, it provided a way to really look at my leadership style and how I connected with those around me in my social life, my work life, and my family.

[Anath Lee Wales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it and recommend it for everyone at all levels.
Prior to reading many books and with due to my many other personal responsibilities,
I couldn't get enough time to really write a personalized review,
but this is really a good book you have to read.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

This book was straight to the point, easy to read, and based on the author’s personal experiences. A re-read is definitely warranted

[Rachael Melot · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend authored an authentic book on leadership for the introverts.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has all the lessons learned that I’ve read in all places but compiled into one book. It’s a good message

[Dr Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Brilliant. A must read for all who desire to be the best self they can be. A good supplement for those in Toaatmasters. Applies to all life stages, not just the workplace. Well done.

[Davide · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brave leader is conscious of his own needs and desires, conscious of the impact he have on the people in his life and the world he inhabit, conscious of how he is both vulnerable and so very powerful.

This self help book on leadership is divided in four sections (What is brave, Barriers to brave, Pushing through to brave, A brave new world) and the "Key Takeaways" at the end of each chapter are very useful for recap and fix the main concepts.

You can find just a few of them below:
- Leadership is not about title, position, or power. A leader is someone people want to follow, not have to follow.
- If leadership is about ensuring people want to follow, not have to follow, you must connect to the positive emotions of people you lead and influence.
- If you want to be a brave leader, it’s critical that you recognize that the kind of leadership that worked in the past is no longer effective with today’s workforce.
- To be a brave leader, it’s critical to ask yourself, Do the people I need to lead and influence experience me as genuine, worthy of trust, reliable, and believable?
- Focusing on action to achieve impact—your Super Objective— aligns who you are on the inside with the actions you take in your life, to ensure people experience you as authentic.

I received a copy of the book as Netgalley reviewer.