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Strong Ground by Brené Brown - book preview
Seven years after her bestselling Dare to Lead, Brené Brown is back with Strong Ground – a guide for anyone trying to lead with courage in a world that feels more chaotic by the second
If you know the name Brené Brown, it’s likely due to her previous bestsellers, including Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness and the game changing Dare to Lead. But over and above that, it’s almost certainly thanks to her viral 2010 Ted Talk, The Power of Vulnerability – over 23 million viewers and counting, and which kicked off something of a leadership revolution.
A rallying cry for courage, empathy, and, indeed, vulnerability – the kind of traits that have historically been sidelined in the boardroom – The Power of Vulnerability revealed how letting ourselves be truly seen is the real gateway to joy, creativity, and connection. As she put it back then, “The things that get in the way of connection are our fears that we are not worthy of connection.”
Fast forward to today: uncertainty is the new norm, while blame, bluster and outright cruelty and narcissism appear disturbingly common in leadership circles. We all know who the biggest offenders are – but many of the perps are closer to us than we think.
In this context, the hopeful, no-nonsense Strong Ground feels like a lifeline and a call to arms. Brown invites us to ditch outdated command-and-control notions of leadership and instead embrace connection, discipline, and real accountability. To reconnect with our humanity, stay grounded, and resist being led by fear. Essentially, it’s a reminder that leadership isn’t about perfection, but growth, resilience, and showing up fully.
Strategies for turbulent work environments
Yet this is no fluffy self-help book. It’s been road-tested with more than 150,000 leaders across 45 countries, in the process delivering tangible strategies designed to help us get our heads around turbulent work environments – and especially the kind of creeping unease brought about by AI.
As she says, “I hear a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, ‘What makes us human will ensure our relevance.’ This is dangerous simply because, right now, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for this level of uncertainty, and many feel the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us.”
For Brown, then, the ‘Strong Ground’ of her title refers to a perfect mix of unshakable stability and a readiness to leap into action. “Finding our strong ground – that athletic stance – is the only thing that can provide both stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding,” she says.
How leaders can hold steady
Fans of Dare to Lead will welcome this follow-up’s fresh research, stories, and ways to cultivate deeper connections and strategic risk-taking. With chapter titles such as ‘The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat’, and ‘Tush Push’ (yes, really), it focuses on essential skills such as holding tough conversations and employing paradoxical thinking.
Leaders will learn how to hold steady when everything’s shaky, take calculated risks without losing their marbles, and balance humility with confidence. The book also includes personal reflections, poetry (yes!) from Clint Smith, Dr Joy Buolamwini, and David Whyte, and insights from thought leaders like leading organisational psychologist Adam Grant and prominent futurist Amy Webb.
In short, it’s a vital playbook for anyone wanting to lead with heart and grit through the increasingly unpredictable stuff of life and work.
Whether you’re steering a Fortune 500, launching a startup, or just trying to make it through a Monday meeting, Brown has crafted a roadmap to stay grounded, use paradox (“unlearn and relearn”) as a superpower instead of a stumbling block – and grow some cojones. As she puts it, “We need the courage to lead in ways that honour and protect the wisdom of the human spirit.”
Strong Ground by Brené Brown is published on 23 September by Penguin.
Ali Catterall is an award-winning writer, journalist and filmmaker whose writing has featured in the Guardian, Time Out, GQ, Film4, Word magazine and the Big Issue, among many others. Ali is also the writer and director of the 2023 film Scala!!!
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