How to Be Bold
The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
AN INSTANT USA Today BESTSELLER • NAMED A Thinkers50 BEST NEW MANAGEMENT BOOK FOR 2026
“I love this book. How to Be Bold is a practical road map filled with real-life stories that will inspire you and help you find courage when it matters most.” —Mel Robbins, New York Times bestselling author and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast
From the distinguished Harvard Business School professor and author of Deep Purpose comes a fresh examination of courage: what it is and how we are all capable of brave acts.
What leads people to speak truth to power, share bold new ideas, or put their lives on the line? Most of us chalk it up to personality, presuming that our heroes are naturally fearless. But what if courage isn’t simply a matter of personality? What if it’s something that any of us can develop?
In How to Be Bold, Ranjay Gulati offers a powerful playbook for becoming bolder and braver than we ever thought possible. Rather than leaving brave deeds to mythological heroes and resigning ourselves to apathy or cowardice, we can train ourselves to step up and act in the face of uncertainty. The key, Gulati argues, is to adopt ways of thinking that allow us to neutralize or moderate our fears. By shifting how we see ourselves and the world, we can lower the odds that we’ll freeze up in the moment while also sustaining courage over prolonged periods. We also can inspire others around us to display what Gulati calls collective courage.
Gulati shares vivid accounts of extraordinary courageous behavior, taking readers inside a nuclear reactor under threat of meltdown, to the front lines of a war zone, and into space with NASA astronauts. Connecting these stories with more mundane examples, such as the bravery shown by health care workers during the height of the COVID pandemic and by a whistleblower who took the bold step to expose their employer, Gulati reveals that what all of these people have in common isn’t fearlessness. It’s the ability to think in ways that help them manage their fears and make courageous action possible.
We all dream of being heroes, and some of us actually live those dreams. Whether you’re a leader steering your organization through uncertainty, an activist standing up for your beliefs, or a young person simply looking to live your best, most fulfilling life, How to Be Bold gives you the science-based insight and strategies you need to take more action, do more good, and leave an inspiring legacy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Harvard Business School professor Gulati (Deep Purpose) shines in this fresh examination of courage that combines suspenseful storytelling with relevant research. He argues that boldness is neither innate nor rare but a discipline that can be developed like a muscle. To help people become more courageous in their careers and pesonal lives, he created a formula called "the 9 C's," which includes such strategies as commitment, connection, and charisma. The book's most memorable moments are stories about everyday people hurled into life-or-death situations. For example, in 2023, 26-year-old Brandon Tsay disarmed a gunman who opened fire at a Los Angeles dance hall where he worked. In an interview, Tsay revealed that he had never viewed himself as brave or heroic, but the venue had been founded by his grandmother, and he knew many of the patrons and fellow employees. This collective identity gave him, in Gulati's words, "a powerful reason to fight back." Gulati also explores more nuanced and relatable examples, like how he overcame being "gripped by fear" at the prospect of public speaking by focusing not on the audience and their possible reactions but on his purpose in addressing them. As inspirational as it is practical, this is a much-needed reframing of what it means to be brave.
