Vulnerability - Wise or Stupid???
✈ “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. Welcome aboard this Horizon Airways flight to New York City.
We are now ready for take-off.
But before we get going, and in the spirit of transparency, I wanted to share something with you: This is actually my first time flying a passenger plane. And as you might expect I am quite nervous.
But rest assured, I’ve undergone extensive training and will do my very best to get us to our destination safely.
Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight.”
Who’d want to be a passenger on this flight? We often hear calls for being fully authentic and showing more vulnerability at work. But is it always wise?
The scenario above is extreme, but deliberately so. It illustrates the potential career-altering consequences of getting vulnerability wrong. Because misjudged disclosures can quickly undermine us and diminish other peoples’ confidence in our competence as leaders.
So, how do we know where we should draw the line?
The risks & rewards of vulnerability
Vulnerability can both hurt and help your leadership.
For instance, creating a deeper human connection by admitting you don’t have all the answers builds trust and fosters collaboration.
But showing fear during times of crisis or oversharing personal problems will quickly undermine your authority and likely lead to more chaos.
Brené Brown’s work into ‘the power of vulnerability’ is often cited to showcase vulnerability’s benefits, but it’s equally important that we don’t lose sight of the word ‘leadership’.
Professional boundaries and context
“Vulnerability in leadership must respect professional boundaries,” says Liebfrog’s Founder and CEO, Karin Mueller.
“There’s a risk that all this hype around vulnerability is leading to oversharing. Let’s not forget that at work we are in a professional environment. So while we want to connect with others and build trust, it shouldn’t come at the expense of people losing confidence in our abilities.”
Context matters!
Coming back to our pilot example, it would have been absolutely fine, in fact advisable, for the captain to share their nervousness with their co-pilot, asking for extra vigilance and support. But passengers do not need (or want!) to hear about it.
So knowing when and how to show vulnerability is a balancing act and requires careful consideration. Asking yourself these ten questions will help.
But enough from us; what do you think?
Is vulnerability wise or stupid?
Is the hype around vulnerability as a leadership trait steering us towards an unproductive competition of 'who has the most / toughest personal struggles'?
May 2024
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