At the Fast Company Innovation Festival last week, bestselling author, podcaster and research professor at the University of Houston, Brené Brown, was asked a question about inspiration.
“You have a knack for inspiring people,” moderator Jon Gluck said. “How do you do that?”
“I wrestle with that word because I don’t really care if I’m inspirational or not,” Brown responded.
Gluck followed up with the question, “How do you get people to listen to you?”
And when it comes to her ability to command an audience, Brown said she prioritizes two things.
‘I’m never not going to be prepared’
First, Brown puts an emphasis on preparation.
In her work with business leaders, she’ll take time to do extensive research on their companies and learn about the context of their work. She told the story of a woman who asked how Brown can be so commanding in a meeting. When Brown asked how long the woman spent preparing for that meeting, she said 30 minutes.
“It took me about four hours,” Brown said to the woman. She had listened to investor calls, watched videos of the CEO and read about the company.
That might be a symptom of being the only woman in the room for much of her career, she said. Either way, “I’m never not going to be prepared.”
‘I try to just be very truthful’
Brown’s second priority in her work: Honesty.
“I’m honest,” she said. “I try to just be very truthful.”
And Brown said that she’s done this long enough that if anyone listens to her, it’s probably because they trust she’ll tell the truth. “If I can’t, I don’t talk,” she said.
Brown shared that the reason she took a break from podcasting in 2023 when her deal with Spotify ended is because she felt “the consequence of telling the truth” in that moment would be tough.
Circling back to Gluck’s initial question about how Brown manages to inspire so many people, she delivered a dose of humility: “I’m just like you,” she said.
“Three days out of seven, I’m like, ‘Jesus Christ, I don’t want to get out of bed.'”
But Brown said that working hard and sticking to her guns has helped her build the career she has now.
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