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Re:Thinking with Adam GrantRe:Thinking with Adam Grant

Brené Brown and Simon Sinek on the leadership skills we need to build | Re:Thinking with Adam Grant

Brené Brown and Simon Sinek are two of the world's most influential thought leaders. They’ve shared their insights on the power of vulnerability and purpose in viral TED talks, hit podcasts, and bestselling books. Adam invites Brené and Simon to a lively discussion about the most important skills for leaders to build -- and the most vital steps for organizations to put people first. Together, they also field audience questions on earning trust, giving upward feedback, and creating better leadership opportunities for the next generation. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts. The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Adam GranthostBrené BrownguestSimon Sinekguest
May 26, 202340mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Brown, Sinek, and Grant dissect humane leadership as practice, not perks

  1. Leadership is framed as fundamentally human skills—self-awareness, kindness, accountability, trust—and as a team sport rather than an individual achievement.
  2. Effective leadership development requires practice in “brave/courageous spaces,” using specific language tools and repeated rehearsal of hard conversations.
  3. Many leadership programs disproportionately help already-strong leaders because motivation to lead, incentives, and organizational structures (like “up-or-out”) shape whether training sticks.
  4. Inclusion and equity change what “good leadership” looks like and who can safely take interpersonal risks, making co-creation and lived experience essential to applying leadership frameworks.
  5. Sustaining leadership energy depends on boundaries, avoiding service-as-martyrdom, diagnosing the real drivers of exhaustion (e.g., loneliness, lack of appreciation), and seeking trusted support early.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Leadership is “good humaning” plus accountability.

Brown and Sinek argue that who you are is how you lead—curiosity, kindness, vision, trust, and responsibility aren’t add-ons but the core operating system.

A strong “why” is an act of service, not a slogan.

Sinek emphasizes purpose that benefits others (team, customer, society) and warns that self-focused ambition becomes fragile and corrosive over time.

Leaders must label when they’re “thinking out loud.”

Because positional authority turns casual musings into perceived directives (the “gold” story), leaders should explicitly signal brainstorming to prevent accidental mandates.

Adjust your delivery to how others process information.

They highlight practical tactics—pacing, pauses, tone, even hand movement—to communicate across different thinking speeds and avoid overwhelming slower processors.

Leadership skill grows through reps in brave containers.

Brown describes training as practice-based: role-playing avoided conversations, learning concrete phrases (“Help me understand…”, “The story I’m telling myself…”), and building psychological courage rather than promising “safety.”

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Leadership is a team sport.

— Simon Sinek

A good why is ultimately an act of service.

— Simon Sinek

Who we are is how we lead.

— Brené Brown

You can't build skills unless you build containers.

— Brené Brown

If you don't care for the people you lead and you're not connected with them, none of this works.

— Brené Brown

Vulnerability as strengthTrust and human connectionLeadership as teamwork and serviceThinking out loud and positional authority risksTeaching leadership through skill practice and languageBrave spaces vs “safe spaces” and equity concernsBoundaries, burnout, and service vs martyrdom

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