Book review: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Published: 2021.04.18 | 2 minutes read

At the beginning of a year, I got promoted to the position of Lead Software Engineer at Mindera. When I accepted this position, I didn’t realize what I’m putting onto my shoulders. I changed from being a developer, writing code, solving business problems using programming languages to mentorship, and leading other developers to solve these problems. Even though I feel more comfortable with it now, the transition wasn’t easy, and I still have plenty to learn.

A few weeks ago, I saw a LinkedIn post by my friend Luís Alberto Simões, where he recommended “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown. I learned a ton from Luis in the past, who at Mindera is a go-to person in any soft skills development. After his brief review, I knew that this book could help me a lot in my new professional situation. It was a solid decision to pick it up.

This book is a compilation of insights and advice for people who are getting into leadership positions in organizations of any scale. It emphasizes the core values of good leaders, helps to identify and develop them. It also demystifies the common misconceptions of harsh and heartless organization heads. It goes in-depth about necessary factors of great leaders like vulnerability, courage, empathy, and trust. One of my favourite parts of this book was a chapter dedicated to giving and receiving feedback — a priceless piece of advice.

Even though this publication targets new leaders as the primary audience, I believe everyone can learn a lot from Brené. This book is simply about being a good human being. I would highly recommend this book to everyone interested in self-development. Until next time, keep on reading 👋

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