Why We Offer Dare to Lead™: Practicing Courage at Work
Real Leadership Requires Real Courage—This Is How We Build It
When I became certified in Dare to Lead™, it wasn’t just about adding a credential. It was personal.
I was already working with leaders who were smart, talented, and well-intentioned—but still struggling to lead in ways that truly connected, inspired, and created psychological safety.
I saw firsthand that what often got in the way wasn’t a lack of skill or strategy. It was fear.
Fear of being vulnerable;
… of not having the answers,
…. of tough conversations,
… of failure,
…of disconnection,
… of shame.
That’s why Dare to Lead™ seemed like such a powerful addition to our leadership development work. It gives people a shared language and specific practices for what it actually looks like to lead with courage. And it turns courage into something learnable—not a trait you’re either born with or not.
Dare to Lead™ Skill Sets
At the heart of Dare to Lead™ are four courage-building skill sets:
Rumbling with Vulnerability – Learning to lean into difficult conversations, discomfort, and uncertainty without armor.
Living into Our Values – Operationalizing personal and organizational values so they’re more than just posters on the wall.
Braving Trust – Building real trust, piece by piece, using a clear, behavioral framework.
Learning to Rise – Developing the resilience and tools to get back up after we fall, fail, or struggle.
How Dare to Lead™ Builds EQ
What I love most about this program is how it helps leaders build emotional intelligence—specifically emotional literacy around the big, uncomfortable emotions that often run the show at work: vulnerability and shame.
Here’s a hard truth: both vulnerability and shame are always present in leadership. They’re universal and human. And when we don’t name and normalize them, they drive behavior from the shadows. That’s when things get toxic—when people disengage, get defensive, avoid accountability, or lash out.
What Dare to Lead™ does so beautifully is make it okay (and actually skillful) to talk about emotions at work—not in a performative or overly personal way, but in a grounded, strategic, and human way. When leaders gain the courage and vocabulary to navigate vulnerability, shame, empathy, and trust, they create conditions where people can be more honest, more creative, more resilient—and ultimately, more effective.
Dare to Lead™ Outcomes
In our Dare to Lead™ programs, we combine Brené Brown’s research with practical tools, guided reflection, and real-world application. Leaders walk away with clarity, confidence, and the capacity to show up differently—in ways that ripple through teams, culture, and results.
If you want to cultivate a culture of courage where people can speak up, take smart risks, own their work, and recover from missteps—this program is a powerful place to start. Let’s chat!
