147. Dropping Your Leadership Armor: A Strategy Inspired by Brené Brown

Send us Fan MailSenior leaders do not wonder if you are capable. They wonder why you are apologizing for being capable. When you start a sentence with "I am not sure if this makes sense" or "This might be a dumb question," you are putting on armor that dilutes your authority before you even finish your thought. If you want to move from being a super multitasker to a strategic leader, you must learn to step into the arena without the self-protection of a half-apology.WHAT THIS EPISODE IS ABOUT In this kickoff to our Women's History Month series, Kele Belton analyzes a core leadership insight from Brené Brown: It is not fear that gets in the way of daring leadership; it is our armor. This episode is a celebration of a massive community milestone: Communicate to Lead has officially reached the Top 10% of podcasts globally.You will explore how the habits of a super multitasker (softening recommendations, over-explaining, or staying quiet) are actually forms of armor that prevent you from being seen as a strategic leader. Kele provides a simple, one-sentence shift to help you reclaim your executive presence immediately.WHAT YOU WILL LEARNThe Anatomy of Armor: Recognize the self-protection language that signals you are not fully owning your expertise.The "I Recommend" Swap: A tactical, one-sentence strategy to replace disclaimers with authoritative insight.Executive Signal Shifting: How to communicate that you are "in the arena" without needing to speak louder or change your personality.The Weekly Experiment: A low-stakes way to audit your communication in one meeting to see how people respond to your new strategic command.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEA Global Milestone: Join the community of over 1,000 monthly leaders who have made us a Top 10% globally ranked show.Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead: The foundation for today's tactical shift.Next Week: We look at Ursula Burns and her data-driven strategy for leading through a crisis.Ignite Your Leadership Power Accelerator: Stop being at the mercy of everyone else’s to-do list. Join the Waitlist Here.ABOUT YOUR HOST Kele Belton is a communication and leadership facilitator, coach, and consultant specializing in helping women leaders drop the armor and step into the arena with strategic command. Through the Communicate to Lead podcast and her high-level coaching, she provides the frameworks high-performing women need to stop being praised and start being promoted.CONNECT WITH KELE:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kele-ruth-belton/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetailoredapproach/Website: https://thetailoredapproach.com