It Takes Guts to Lead

We know brave leaders have strong hearts and smart minds. But that alone is not enough. It takes guts to change your world for the better.

The good news is this: Guts, bravery, and courage are all things we can learn and cultivate.

Rachel Biderman
“ At the end of the day, a person has to believe in themselves and put the work in to become brave enough to act.”
— Rachel Biderman, non-profit director
 

Building a Movement of Brave Leaders

At the Brave Leaders Project, we celebrate those who have found the guts to create meaningful change. You can find their stories in the book or in the blog posts below.

We also inspire and encourage anyone who wants to take action in their own world, by teaching bravery in practical, easy-to-learn ways. Check out our training options, or scroll down for a collection of lessons on how to develop your own bravery.

Or start out by testing whether you already have the Guts to Lead: Take our 5-minute Gut Check here!

 

Brave Leaders Stories

In addition to those in the book, we interviewed several brave leaders who have changed the world around them in meaningful ways. Read their inspiring stories here!

 
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Cultivate Your Own Bravery

Regardless of whether you are a seasoned leader or taking your first steps, it is always possible to develop your bravery and courage. Our best advice is to focus on cultivating the Four Universal Traits of Brave Leaders, which we have found in all of the brave leaders we have worked with:

  • Perseverance

  • Altruism

  • Humility

  • Composure

We have developed a free, 5-minute Gut Check that lets you test yourself on these traits. But no matter your current score: Cultivate these four traits, and bravery will follow.

How to do this? In our book Brave Leaders, we provide a number of specific exercises that will help you develop these traits. In addition, take a look at the resources below, where we explain each of the traits and how you can cultivate them in your life.

Marina Silva
“Courage is not the absence of fear; Courage is when commitment prevails despite the fear.”
— Marina Silva, Brazilian politician, grassroots activist, and rainforest defender
 

 Brave Leaders Insights

Below are some of the most important lessons we have learned from working with around 50 of the world’s bravest leaders, and how each of us can apply them in our own lives.

 

More blog posts coming soon! Sign up to our newsletter below to receive the latest posts directly to your email.

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Share Your Story

Inspired by the stories of other Brave Leaders and want to share your own? Is there a roadblock you keep running into when working on The Four Universal Traits? Do you have any other thoughts to share? We want to hear from you! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your thoughts using #braveleaders or #gutstolead, or contact us directly.

Kongjian Yu Brave Leaders
“I made a decision to speak out and make as much noise as I could.”
— Kongjian Yu, Landscape architect and professor
 

Continued Inspiration

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