Winning with imperfect leadership: the result of BRAVE
This week in one of our implementation labs, we witnessed a remarkable moment of leadership—a moment that wasn’t perfect but was profoundly BRAVE.
One of our leaders received feedback from two close colleagues. They told her she had been too harsh on a new hire when giving direction. At first, she felt defensive. Can you blame her? It’s human to want to justify your actions.
But here’s where the story turns: because of the rapport she had already built with these colleagues—rapport that’s the R in our BRAVE Framework®—their words sank in. She realized their feedback wasn’t criticism; it was care. Win number one.
Then, she paused. She reflected. And she saw something in herself that she didn’t like. She saw that in that moment with the new hire, she hadn’t shown up bravely. Instead of being curious, empathetic and constructive, she had fallen into correction mode. But here’s the second win: she used the tools from BRAVE® to course-correct. She decided to make amends.
The next day, she approached the new hire. She apologized. She explained that she wanted to lead with more curiosity and care, and in that instance, she hadn’t. She owned her mistake. It felt awkward, sure—but here’s the magic: the new hire responded with grace. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I learned a lot from you that day. It’s not a big deal.”
Win number three? That honest conversation didn’t just repair the relationship—it made it stronger. Making a mistake turned out to be positive
And there’s more. By owning her mistake and making it right, this leader role-modeled the very culture she wants to see in her team. She showed the new hire that at this company, people take ownership of their missteps. They repair relationships. They learn and grow. This was the most impactful win.
This moment wasn’t just about her leadership. It was about creating psychological safety—a signal to her team that it’s okay to fail, especially when you own it and do the work to make it better. Remember, as leaders, we are culture. What we do and embody, intentionally or otherwise, is what builds or burns culture
This leader is someone who has practiced The BRAVE Framework®, who still listens to the modules in our course like a podcast in the morning, who comes to labs included on the BRAVE® Accelerator Program and who has committed to growing her leadership one step at a time.
She didn’t just lead bravely. She led humanly.
Here’s the takeaway: You don’t have to get it right every time. In fact, it’s in the mistakes where some of the greatest opportunities live—opportunities to repair, to grow, to deepen trust, and to build stronger teams.
This is the power of being BRAVE.
Are you ready to lead like this?
Three invitations to consider:
1. Start where you are. Reflect on a conversation you’d like to revisit. What might shift if you approached it with courage, care, and curiosity? What if you walked back through it BRAVE-ly?
2. Learn the language of BRAVE. Culture follows structure. Imagine what’s possible for you and your team when owning mistakes, building rapport and psychological safety becomes part of your culture. Start here.
3. Take one BRAVE step today. It doesn’t have to be big or perfect—just brave. Peruse other ways to step into being BRAVE on our blog or show this to someone who does everything they can for others and deserves to be elevated, recognized and appreciated and if you want to receive weekly emails, join the party here.
The beauty of BRAVE isn’t perfection. It’s what happens when we step into our humanness and choose to lead through it. When we choose to use setbacks and mistakes to our advantage. When we hold ourselves to a better, braver standard.
Let’s lead braver, together.
To you, and to harnessing your humanness for the better of everyone around you,
Elisabeth
