The best leaders

Brené Brown is one of my favorite communicators. She is clear. She has data. She has stories. She is quotable. She’s a dream to listen to, and she’s memorable.

Her recent interview with Men in Blazers podcast host Roger Bennett about Liverpool Football Club turned into a master class about leadership. It’s a great listen!

Here’s Brené at about minute 27 of the show:

“We have a couple million pieces of data at this point and one of the things that’s really interesting about leadership is care for and connection with the people you lead is an irreducible prerequisite for good leadership. I was afraid when that emerged. In fact, the first time I was on the ground talking about this leadership skill of caring for and being connected with, I was working with fighter pilots, with the US Air Force. And I told the general at the base, ‘I’m gonna talk about caring for’. I was kind of worried that in this military milieu he was gonna be like ‘What?’ And he said, ‘That’s a low bar.’ And I said ‘What do you mean?’ and he said ‘We don’t believe you care for and connect with. We don’t want you leading anyone for whom you don’t have deep, unabiding affection. Because our lives are on the line.’”

She continues:
“You watched Klopp love that team into excellence. You watch Slott love that team into excellence. So, if you’re saying to yourself, ‘I’m a tough leader and I don’t give a shit about the people I’m leading, I just care about performance’, then you don’t really care about performance.”

Preach, Brené, Preach!

As a communications coach, I say over and over again, “Everyone wants to feel seen and valued.”

When you’re speaking to your team members - in a one:one, in a senior staff meeting, in your all hands, SEE YOUR PEOPLE. VALUE THEM. People will run through walls for someone who sees and values them, who recognizes their contributions, who applauds their courage.