I found that the more truthful and vulnerable I was, the more empowering it was for me. – Alanis Morissette
A word about being vulnerable
I read where Will Rogers’ stage specialty used to be rope tricks. One day, on stage, in the middle of his act, he got tangled in his lariat. Instead of getting upset, he drawled, “A rope ain’t so bad to get tangled up in if it ain’t around your neck.” The audience roared. Encouraged by the warm reception, Rogers began adding humorous comments to all his performances. It was the comments, not the rope tricks, that eventually made him famous.
As leaders, we tend to get ourselves into predicaments that are hard to escape precisely due to our obsession with protecting our image. Our greatest leadership strength can be found not in faking perfection but in embracing our own vulnerabilities.
Think for a moment about how different your leadership would look if you dropped the pretense of perfection and having all of the answers in exchange for authentic leadership. Imagine how different your life would be.
Allow me to explore a few ways in which being vulnerable can strengthen your leadership and why it matters.
Vulnerability empowers you as a leader
Think for a moment about the qualities you look for most of the leaders in your life. Melanie Curtin identified the top four qualities that millennials are looking for in an article for Inc. The top four qualities were mentoring, a gentle spirit, authenticity, and integrity,
All four of those qualities are essential to good leadership. When a leader is vulnerable these qualities will shine through. After all, how can you be an authentic leadership without being vulnerable?
If you want to gain respect and earn the trust of the people you lead, you will have to drop the mask and forget about the glittering image and get real.
Vulnerability puts the humanity into your leadership
Some of the most impactful lessons I have learned in leadership over the years from my mentors were not the great success stories they shared. It was the stories of their defeats, failures, and setbacks that inspired me. Why? Because they failed? No. It was inspiring because it allowed me to see them as human and that if they can fail, recover, and succeed then I could as well. It built my confidence.
Being vulnerable as a leader doesn’t mean that you make excuses for your failures or that you lower the bar on your goals or aspirations. Being vulnerable means that you allow your people to see the good, the bad, and the ugly, and still be inspired by your leadership.
Vulnerability creates connections in your leadership
Vulnerability opens up a whole new realm of leadership for you that just doesn’t come any other way. So long as you are guarded, distant, and protecting your image, then your people will always be made to feel they can never measure up to your example- or at least make it feel it’s out of their reach.
Vulnerability creates connections and builds bridges with your people that will open up doors and relationships that could not happen otherwise.
If you want to grow your influence as a leader then it’s time to be real, time to be genuine, and time to be vulnerable. Most people can spot a phony a long way off.
Vulnerability quotes
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” – Brene’ Brown
“We are at our most powerful the moment the moment we no longer need to be powerful.” – Eric Micha’el Leventhal
“Developing people by investing in them doesn’t mean pretending you have all the answers.” – John Maxwell
“Getting in touch with your true self must be your first priority.” – Tom Hopkins
A final word
Vulnerability in leadership is essential to good leadership. It’s not an expression of weakness, it’s an expression of being empowered as a leader and comfortable in your own skin. Embrace being vulnerable and watch your influence grow.
©2018 Doug Dickerson
