What can we learn from the Leadership of Bryan Stevenson?

Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, acclaimed public interest lawyer, and author of the New York Times Bestselling Book, Just Mercy. Since its founding, Stevenson and his staff have argued and won multiple cases at the US Supreme Court and successfully fought for relief, release from prison, or overturned convictions for over 135 people. Here are three things we are learning from his leadership style.
A model of resilient leadership in the face of adversity, Stevenson’s work rests on a foundation of belief in the power of hope and recognition of our own brokenness as a way to inspire the self and others to purpose-driven work.

In Stevenson’s own words, here are three lessons that can inform us on how to lead with resilience:

1.) Resilient leadership starts at an acceptance of our own failings.

“It’s the broken among us that can teach us some things. And knowing that you don’t have to be perfect and complete gives you a way of moving through challenges that would be hard if you think that that’s not something that’s possible.”

2.) In order to overcome periods of darkness, we must lead with hope and confidence.

“And if you try to dissect why is [injustice] still here, it’s because people haven’t had enough hope and confidence to believe that we can do something better. I think hope is our superpower. Hope is the thing that gets you to stand up, when others say, ‘Sit down.’ It’s the thing that gets you to speak, when others say, ‘Be quiet.’”

3.) In order to create change, we have to get close to the problem.

“You can’t understand most of the important things from a distance… You have to get close.”

The best leaders aren’t perfect. They’re the ones who face their failures head-on and use them to become better--and in so doing, they empower their teams to do the same.

What are ways in which you can get “close” to the important things this week? 

Perhaps by setting an example of taking ownership of past failures and speaking frankly about learning from mistakes. A willingness to acknowledge areas for improvement can pay huge dividends for building the trust that will allow your team to overcome future obstacles.