Sometimes I find myself glancing at my bookshelf, skimming socials, or staring into the sky wondering "What is THE answer? How do we LEAD for LIBERATION in all of THIS?"
The call for justice and belonging is especially urgent and present.
Tools like Brené Brown’s framework of Daring and Armored Leadership (Dare to Lead, 2018) remain deeply relevant—offering guidance, clarity, and courage.
Brené Brown names the tension between armored and daring leadership with striking clarity: “Armored leadership is about being right. Daring leadership is about getting it right.” (Dare to Lead, p. 92). When we armor up, we lean on learned behaviors—like control, perfectionism, and emotional detachment—to protect ourselves from discomfort, uncertainty, and vulnerability. These strategies might create the illusion of safety, but they come at a cost: disconnection, eroded trust, and a breakdown in authentic community. As Brown warns, “When we’re in fear, we hold on to armor for protection, and we end up keeping joy, love, and connection out of reach” (Dare to Lead, p. 75).
In contrast, daring leadership is grounded in courage, clarity, and empathy. It’s “the courage to be vulnerable, to show up, and be seen when we can't control the outcome” (Dare to Lead, p. 11). Daring leaders embrace discomfort as a path to growth and prioritize connection over control. They foster trust, lean into hard conversations, and lead with their whole hearts—modeling what it means to lead not from fear, but from grounded confidence and shared humanity.
I see so many of you practicing daring leadership and it's incredibly inspiring.
Brené identifies sixteen forms of armored leadership and unpacks daring leadership capacities that shift us toward courage, health, and human-centeredness. Let's unpack seven. (Buy Dare to Lead from a local bookseller to read the rest!)
1. Driving perfectionism and fostering fear of failure
Armored leadership says: “Mistakes aren’t acceptable.”
Daring leadership says: “We value learning over perfection.”
Perfectionism is fear in disguise. Daring leaders normalize mistakes as part of innovation and growth, creating a culture where psychological safety fuels creativity and inclusion.
Daring leadership is: Modeling and Encouraging Healthy Striving, Empathy, and Self-Compassion.
2. Working from scarcity and squandering opportunities for joy and recognition
Armored leadership says: “Never enough—keep pushing.”
Daring leadership says: “We celebrate progress, gratitude, and joy.”
Scarcity breeds competition and burnout. Daring leaders build cultures of appreciation where people feel seen and valued.
Daring leadership is: Practicing Gratitude and Celebrating Milestones and Victories.
3. Being a knower and being right
Armored leadership says: “I have the answers. I can’t afford to be wrong.”
Daring leadership says: “I’m here to get it right, not to be right.”
When leaders cling to being the expert, they shut down collaboration and silence diverse perspectives. It creates a culture where people are afraid to speak up or challenge ideas. In contrast, daring leadership values curiosity, humility, and continuous learning. It invites dialogue, fosters innovation, and centers the collective wisdom of the team.
Daring leadership is: Being a Learner and Getting It Right (instead of needing to BE right)
4. Hustling for your worth
Armored leadership says: “I must prove I belong—constantly.”
Daring leadership says: “I am enough. My worth is not up for negotiation.”
Daring leaders model belonging by showing that worth is not conditional. They affirm that people are valuable not for what they produce, but for who they are.
Daring leadership is: Knowing Your Value.
5. Weaponizing fear and uncertainty
Armored leadership says: “People need to stay on edge.”
Daring leadership says: “Let’s normalize uncertainty and ground in values.”
Fear is a leadership toxin. Daring leaders stay anchored in values even when outcomes are unclear.
Daring leadership is: Acknowledging, Naming, and Normalizing Fear and Uncertainty.
6. Rewarding exhaustion as a status symbol and attaching productivity to self-worth
Armored leadership says: “If you’re not overworked, you’re not trying.”
Daring leadership says: “Rest and play fuel meaningful work.”
Daring leadership challenges hustle culture and affirms that rest is revolutionary.
Daring leadership is: Modeling and Supporting Rest, Play, and Recovery.
7. Tolerating discrimination, echo chambers, and a "fitting-In" culture
Armored leadership says: “You have to change who you are to be accepted.”
Daring leadership says: “Your belonging doesn't require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”
Daring leaders actively examine power dynamics, disrupt bias, and co-create environments where people of all identities thrive.
Daring leadership is: Cultivating a Culture of Belonging, Inclusivity, and Diverse Perspectives.
These shifts toward daring leadership aren’t just theoretical—they’re deeply personal. Because inclusion isn’t impersonal and technical. It’s about how we treat each other. It’s about being brave enough to sit in discomfort, to say “I don’t know” and mean it. To choose healing instead of acting out of our woundedness.
For consideration: Think of a workplace or organization that allowed, or even celebrated, the armored leadership capacities. What did it feel like for you? How did people interact with each other? What were the results or outcomes of that space? Would you want to go back?
Now think of a workplace or organization that lived-into and behaved in daring leadership ways. What did that feel like? How was it different? What were the outcomes there?Daring leadership is about developing ourselves.
The weight of our personal armor can be paralyzing. Noticing how it shows up—and choosing a path toward daring leadership—begins with self-awareness and self-compassion.
Daring leadership begins inside—when we learn to extend grace to ourselves, it helps us expand and deepen so we can also show up with greater courage, patience, love, and daring with others.
What does it look like to lead with less armor and more daring?
It might mean inviting honest feedback—and really listening.
It might mean pausing a meeting to address harm, and learning together how to hold conflict.
It might mean acknowledging and naming fear together, even when there are so many tasks on the agenda.
It might mean naming that you don't know the answer to a big, messy problem, and you are willing to learn together to figure out how to be in the messy.
What does daring leadership look like to you?
The invitation is clear:
Let’s lead with courage and community, not out of our woundedness.
Let’s build cultures of inclusion by modeling vulnerability, not perfection.
Let’s be the kind of leaders—and teammates, friends, and family members—who choose to show up, even when it’s hard.
For each other, for ourselves. We need each other, especially now.
We are stronger together.
May you have all of the energy you need to heal from your wounded, self-protecting armor, and practice daring leadership today and every day.
Fellow leaders and learners, I wish you courage, rest, and Beloved Community for the journey. Together we catalyze a brave, bold, and liberatory future.
Peace to you,