Kimberly Davis, author of Brave Leadership and expert in authentic leadership, joins the show this week. Kimberly shares how her experience as a trained actor set the stage for a career in leadership and coaching, the relationship between bravery and fear, and how we can live, lead, and work with courage. Kimberly helps people and leaders connect to their real and powerful selves, which in turn creates a team culture where others feel at ease to do the same.
Key Takeaways
[5:30] One of her “survival jobs” as an actress led Kimberly to lead cross-cultural workshops in Japan, and the experience transformed the way she looked at the world. She saw that training and leadership development helped her access her own values and talents, and also saw a striking similarity between the high-stakes environment of life on the stage and in the corporate world.
[15:10] Kimberly reframed her definition of bravery to mean an individual being their best and most authentic self. Bravery is about focusing on the impact and connection with others, not just about the outcome.
[21:22] When leaders are able to be authentic and drop their own mask, others in the workforce will feel comfortable to do so as well.
[23:03] Kimberly is seeing more men bring themselves to work as a human rather than a boss. Emerging leaders are also working to bridge senior leaders that may have a different style with the younger generation that seeks out more emotional and psychological safety.
[30:24] Others decide how genuine, worthy of trust, and believable we are. When we look through the lens of others without judgment, it impacts our actions to behave in a way that hopefully reflects these core values.
[34:18] Leaders must get out of their own way and realize it’s not all about them to fulfill their “super objective.”
[38:35] As a leader, you are always on stage, and whether it’s in a small meeting or large presentation, people are always paying attention.
[40:33] Two powerful things Kimberly recommends to overcome speaking anxiety: Shift focus out of yourself and on to your super objective and to simplify and have a conversation rather than speaking at people.
Resources:
Purchase Bring Your Whole Self to Work and gain access to bonus material
Brave Leadership, by Kimberly Davis
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