How We Show Up by Brunda Manurkar: A Book Review by Dr. (HC) Prachetan Potadar
- Neel Deshpande
- Aug 15
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Brunda Manurkar's How We Show Up is a thoughtful exploration of what it truly means to be present—in our personal lives, professional relationships, leadership roles, and communities. Rather than focusing on superficial ideas of success or productivity, the book invites readers to cultivate authenticity, empathy, and intentional action.
At its heart, the book suggests that "showing up" is not merely about being physically present. It is about bringing awareness, curiosity, courage, empathy, and compassion into every interaction.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its practical and relatable approach. Drawing upon years of experience in facilitation, leadership development, and human-centred learning, Author Brunda presents concepts through real-life examples, reflective exercises, and engaging stories. This makes the book accessible to professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone interested in becoming a more conscious communicator and leader.
Core Themes
1. Presence Over Performance
The central message emphasises that meaningful impact begins with genuine presence. Author Brunda challenges the tendency to prioritise appearances or outcomes over authentic engagement. She encourages readers to replace the need to impress with the willingness to connect.
In a world where visibility is often confused with influence, the book reminds us that being present is much deeper than simply being seen.
2. Self-Awareness as the Foundation
The book repeatedly returns to the importance of understanding oneself before attempting to influence others. Reflection, emotional awareness, and recognising personal biases become essential tools for better leadership and healthier relationships.
The ability to pause, reflect and understand our own responses can fundamentally change the way we communicate with others.
3. Facilitation as Leadership
Instead of presenting leadership simply as authority, the book reframes it as the ability to create spaces where others can think, contribute, participate and grow.
This perspective is especially valuable in today's collaborative workplaces, where influence often matters more than hierarchy. Author Brunda demonstrates how creating the right environment can sometimes be more powerful than having all the answers.
4. Listening with Intention
A recurring lesson is that listening is an active practice rather than a passive activity.
Author Brunda highlights how deep listening can build trust, reduce conflict, encourage diverse perspectives and improve decision-making across teams and communities.
In an age where everyone wants to respond quickly, the ability to genuinely listen has become a powerful leadership skill.
5. Courage Through Vulnerability
Rather than portraying vulnerability as weakness, the book presents openness and honesty as important elements of meaningful human connection.
Leaders who acknowledge uncertainty, ask questions, admit mistakes and invite diverse perspectives can create stronger relationships and greater trust than those who feel compelled to project certainty at all times.
Strengths of the Book
One of the most impressive aspects of How We Show Up is its balance between theory and practice. Important ideas are accompanied by actionable suggestions that readers can apply in meetings, classrooms, coaching conversations, professional settings or everyday relationships.
Another notable strength is the book's human-centred perspective. Instead of offering quick-fix formulas, it encourages sustainable behavioural change rooted in empathy, awareness and reflection.
The writing style is conversational without sacrificing depth. Complex ideas around leadership, communication, facilitation and human behaviour are presented in an accessible manner, making the book useful for both experienced professionals and newcomers.
The book also reflects contemporary workplace realities, where collaboration, emotional intelligence, inclusion, psychological safety and effective communication are becoming increasingly important characteristics of successful organisations.
Key Takeaways
- Authentic presence creates stronger relationships than polished performance.
- Leadership begins with self-awareness rather than positional authority.
- Deep listening can sometimes solve problems before solutions are even proposed.
- Facilitation is an essential leadership capability in collaborative environments.
- Trust grows when people feel heard, respected and psychologically safe.
- Reflection transforms experiences into lasting learning.
- Vulnerability can strengthen relationships when expressed with authenticity and purpose.
- Small, consistent behaviours can create greater long-term impact than dramatic gestures.
- The way we engage with people can be as important as the outcomes we achieve.
Areas Where Readers May Want More
Readers seeking highly structured frameworks, detailed research citations or quantitative leadership models may find the book intentionally more reflective than academic.
Its focus remains on practical wisdom, lived experience, human behaviour and reflection rather than extensive theoretical discussion.
Some readers may also wish for additional case studies from a wider range of industries and organisational environments. However, the universal nature of the principles presented makes the lessons broadly applicable.
Who Should Read This Book?
How We Show Up is particularly valuable for:
- Leaders and managers building collaborative teams
- HR professionals and learning facilitators
- Coaches and mentors
- Teachers and educators
- Entrepreneurs leading growing organisations
- Students preparing for leadership roles
- Professionals working in collaborative environments
- Anyone seeking deeper personal and professional relationships
Why the Book Matters Today
The relevance of How We Show Up becomes particularly apparent in today's fast-moving world.
Technology has made communication faster, but faster communication does not automatically mean better communication. Organisations are becoming more collaborative, but collaboration does not automatically create connection. People are more visible than ever through digital platforms, yet genuine presence can sometimes feel increasingly rare.
Against this backdrop, Author Brunda brings the conversation back to something fundamental: the quality of our human engagement.
The book encourages us to consider how we enter a conversation, how we respond to disagreement, how we listen to another person's perspective, how we handle uncertainty and, most importantly, how others experience our presence.
Final Verdict
How We Show Up is less a traditional leadership manual and more a guide to becoming a more intentional human being.
Brunda Manurkar reminds readers that genuine influence comes not from authority, charisma or expertise alone, but from consistently showing up with curiosity, empathy, integrity and purpose.
The book's greatest strength lies in its human-first philosophy. It places the person before the position, the relationship before the transaction and presence before performance.
In an age defined by distraction, rapid change and increasing complexity, How We Show Up offers a timely reminder that our greatest contribution often lies in how we make others feel seen, heard and valued.
Whether read by aspiring leaders, experienced professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, facilitators or individuals seeking personal growth, the book provides insights that extend far beyond the workplace into almost every meaningful human interaction.
Ultimately, How We Show Up asks us to look beyond the simple question of what we do and examine the deeper question of how we show up while doing it.
That is perhaps the book's most enduring message.
Our presence can change a conversation.
Our listening can change a relationship.
Our leadership can change a team.
And sometimes, simply showing up differently can change the outcome entirely.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.7/5)
Reviewer's Note
How We Show Up succeeds because it doesn't merely tell readers how to become better leaders—it encourages them to become better people first. That human-first philosophy is what gives the book its enduring relevance and impact.
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