993: Vulnerability in Leadership: Are You Armored or Daring? | Leadership Tips

About this episode

This episode explores the concepts of armored versus daring leadership, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability and authenticity in leadership development.

We all have gaps in our leadership skills and capabilities that can be tough to spot on our own. But once seen, we cannot unsee these gaps, and we know we must take responsibility for our own growth and development. In this episode, I'm digging into Brené Brown's framework of Armored Leadership versus Daring Leadership from her book Strong Ground, with the hope that you will be able to spot some of your gaps in your leadership habits. I break down the 11 aspects of armored leadership, those self-protective behaviors that feel like safety but actually keep us stuck, and explore what shifts when you choose daring leadership instead: vulnerability, authenticity, and real growth. We talk about what drives armored leadership in the first place, from scarcity mindset and social conditioning to past trauma, and how those patterns show up in organizational culture without us even realizing it. Then we flip the lens to daring leadership, where leading proactively and strategically rather than reactively becomes possible. We talk about values in leadership, the role of failure, and how building a belonging culture starts with the willingness to be vulnerable as a leader. This is leadership…

People in this episode

Host: Sara Dean

Topics covered

• vulnerability in leadership
• armored leadership
• daring leadership
• leadership development
• organizational culture
• self-protection
• authenticity

Keywords

• leadership skills
• Brené Brown
• self-protective behaviors
• scarcity mindset
• organizational culture
• values in leadership
• belonging culture
• growth
• failure

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Strong Ground

More episodes of Shameless Leadership

• 995: Thought Leadership in the Age of AI: The Skill That Protects Your Career | Leadership Tips | AI, Thought Leadership · June 9, 2026 · 37 min
• 994: Sage Hobbs: Naked Communication: Courageously Create the Relationships You Really Want | Leadership Strategies · June 2, 2026 · 52 min
• 992: Three Grad School Takeaways That Might Help You as Much as They Helped Me | Leadership Stories · May 19, 2026 · 28 min
• 991: Emily Scherberth: Why Leaders Are Afraid to Ask For Feedback | Leadership Stories · May 12, 2026 · 44 min
• 990: 6 Rules to Ruthlessly Manage Your Time As A Woman Leader | Leadership Tips · May 5, 2026 · 29 min
• 989: 5 Questions That Make Difficult Conversations Less Terrifying | Leadership Strategies · April 28, 2026 · 28 min