Anchored, Aligned, Accountable

From one of our most visionary leadership coaches comes a bold new framework for successfully navigating complicated interactions at work, at home, and in all our relationships—featuring a foreword by Brené Brown. “Drawing on her years of coaching experience, Bethea names what is often left unspoken in our workplaces: the dynamics of power, identity, and accountability that shape our relationships.”—Prentis Hemphill, bestselling author of What It Takes to Heal We’ve all had them—awkward interactions at work that could have gone differently, misunderstandings at home that led to avoidable blowups. But what if those uncomfortable moments could become opportunities for personal transformation? Renowned leadership coach Aiko Bethea gives us an innovative and road-tested framework for learning to show up in any situation authentically and not as the people-pleasing or conflict-avoidant versions of ourselves that have become second nature to so many of us. The framework lays out how to successfully navigate moments of conflict: first we must be anchored in our values and purpose, then our actions and principles must be aligned, and finally we must be accountable for our impact. With these three steps, we can remake ourselves and our connections with others, fostering constructive dialogue and creating opportunities for growth. Throughout the book, Bethea draws on decades of real-life experience to show us the many forms that these scenarios can take, offering practical advice to help us lead from our most genuine selves and deepen relationships in every part of our lives. In doing so, she shows us how to transcend the bullshit we constantly encounter and meet each new day grounded in truth, connected to our values, and in control of not just what we do but who we become.

Aiko Bethea is the founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, a leadership development firm that guides leaders to successfully navigate today's workplace, with more impactful approaches to leadership. She supports leaders and teams of Fortune 100 companies, research and academic institutes, and global nonprofit organizations. After practicing law at a global firm, she led legal teams at the City of Atlanta under the leadership of Stacey Abrams. She then served as Director of Compliance for the City of Atlanta and as a Deputy Director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bethea has been recognized by Forbes as one of the top seven anti-racism educators for companies and named multiple times by CultureAmp as an influencer to follow. She contributed to the New York Times best-selling anthology, You Are Your Best Thing, and her writing has also been published by Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and several other outlets. She is a senior leadership consultant for the Brené Brown Education and Research Group and a faculty member of the Hudson Institute of Coaching in Santa Barbara. Bethea holds a bachelor's degree from Smith College and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.