What makes leadership hard isn t theoretical, it s practical. It s not about knowing what to say or do. It s about whether you re willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it. The most critical challenge of leadership is having emotional courage. The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 18 Minutes unlocks the secrets of highly successful leaders and pinpoints the missing ingredient that makes all the difference You have the opportunity to lead: to show up with confidence, connected to others, and committed to a purpose in a way that inspires others to follow. Maybe it's in your workplace, or in your relationships, or simply in your own life. But great leadership--leadership that aligns teams, inspires action, and achieves results--is hard. And what makes it hard isn't theoretical, it's practical. It's not about knowing what to say or do. It's about whether you're willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it. In other words, the most critical challenge of leadership is emotional courage. If you are willing to feel everything, you can do anything. Leading with Emotional Courage, based on the author's popular blogs for Harvard Business Review, provides practical, real-world advice for building your emotional courage muscle. Each short, easy to read chapter details a distinct step in this emotional workout, giving you grounded advice for handling the difficult situations without sacrificing professional ground. By building the courage to say the necessary but difficult things, you become a stronger leader and leave the should'ves behind. Theoretically, leadership is straightforward, but how many people actually lead? The gap between theory and practice is huge. Emotional courage is what bridges that gap. It's what sets great leaders apart from the rest. It gets results. It cuts through the distractions, the noise, and the politics to solve problems and get things done. This book is packed with actionable steps you can take to start building these skills now. * Have the courage to speak up when others remain silent * Be stable and grounded in the face of uncertainty * Respond productively to opposition without getting distracted * Weather others' anger without shutting down or getting defensive Leading with Emotional Courage coaches you to build your emotional courage, exercise it effectively, and create an environment in which people around you take accountability to get hard things done. Why You Should Read this Book ELEMENT ONE: Build Your Confidence Part One: Be Who You Are Chapter 1 Be Yourself The High Cost of Conformity, and How to Avoid It Chapter 2 Find Your Ground Stay steady, balanced, and calm Chapter 3 Stay Curious About Yourself How to Ask for Feedback That Will Actually Help You Chapter 4 Access Self-Compassion The Problem with High Expectations Chapter 5 Embrace Your Shadow How to Avoid Becoming the Person You Hate Chapter 6 It s Not All About Achievement Stop Worrying About How Much You Matter Part Two: Become Who You Want to Be Chapter 7 Find Clarity What s Your One Big Theme? Chapter 8 Become More of Who You Are You re Already Pretty Amazing Chapter 9 Stay Focused You Need to Practice Being Your Future Self Chapter 10 Be Strategic and Intentional 5 Steps to Investing Your Energy More Wisely Chapter 11 Don t Lose Yourself in Pursuit of Becoming Yourself Take Your Life Back Chapter 12 How Will You Measure Success? Why You Should Treat Laughter as a Metric ELEMENT TWO: Connect with Others Part One: Be Curious and Trusting Chapter 13 The Impact of Trust The Real Secret of Thoroughly Excellent Companies Chapter 14 Stay Open How to Really Listen Chapter 15 Stay Curious About Others People Can t Be Summed Up by Personality Tests Chapter 16 Stay Creative Are You Trying to Solve the Wrong Problem? Chapter 17 Be Useful Hold The Baby Chapter 18 Make People Feel Good How Not to Lose a Sale Part Two: Be Clear and Trustworthy Chapter 19 Everyone is Contagious How to Use Your Super Power for Good Chapter 20 Use Fear as a Guide How to Talk About What You Most Dread Chapter 21 Start With the Punchline How to Start a Hard Conversation Chapter 22 Skillful Communication in the Heat of the Moment Outsmart Your Next Angry Outburst Chapter 23 Own Your Stuff I Want You to Apologize Chapter 24 Let Others Know You See Them 20 Seconds to a Better Bonus ELEMENT THREE: Commit to Purpose Part One: Energize Your Focus Chapter 25 Play Hard Nadal Is Strong Enough to Cry. Are You? Chapter 26 Know Where You re Going Define Your Big Arrow Chapter 27 Focus Where It Matters Four Areas To Focus Your Attention Chapter 28 Use Your Focus as a Filter Use Your First Day Back from Vacation to Energize Your Focus Chapter 29 You Can t Say It Enough The Mouthwash Principle: For Energized Focus, Rinse And Repeat Chapter 30 And Sometimes It s Better to Say Less If You Want People to Listen, Stop Talking Part Two: Focus Their Energy Chapter 31 Gifted, Game, and Generous Three Qualities Every Leader Needs to Cultivate Within Their Team Chapter 32 Engage From The Beginning The Farm-to-Table Method of Focusing the Energy of Your Team Chapter 33 Helping Others Be Trustworthy The Secret to Ensuring Follow-Through Chapter 34 Creating Accountability Five Building Blocks For a Culture of Accountability Chapter 35 Bigger Than You Why Leaders Should Try to Be Overwhelmed Chapter 36 Improving Performance After A Critical Error (PACE) How to React When Someone Disappoints ELEMENT FOUR: Cultivate Emotional Courage Part One: Feel Courageously Chapter 37 Know What You Are Feeling Develop Your Awareness Chapter 38 Feeling is Physical Dance With Your Monster Chapter 39 Practice Feeling Embracing Temptation Chapter 40 Feel Uncertainty The Emotional Adventure of Leadership Chapter 41 Be Willing to Feel the Hard Stuff Why Leaders Must Feel Pain Chapter 42 Feel Everything Allow for Complexity Part Two: Act Boldly Chapter 43 Risk is the Key to Leadership Unlocking Your Success Equation Chapter 44 Build Your Risk Muscle The Small Personal Risks That Change Behavior Chapter 45 Make a Decision Act Boldly to Get Moving Chapter 46 Risk Truth It s Your Job to Tell the Bold Truths Chapter 47 Try Something Different The Unexpected Power of Inauthenticity Chapter 48 The Limitless Possibility of Now A Question That Can Change Your Life Epilogue A Note to Readers Acknowledgments About the Author