Vulnerability Is the Key

Be honest about who you are and your own shortcomings and failures. People are much more apt to follow, and be inspired by someone who is a real human being; then, by someone who seems too good to be true or a robot. In reality, vulnerability is a strength. Every leader, regular person has vulnerability. The greatest leaders have the self-awareness to recognize this fact. They also recognize that showing their vulnerability is a sign of courage and strength; which, inspires people around them with the ways they handle and deal with them. Today I will be playing the role of the Myth-buster, here are 4 myths that I am glad to bust:

• Myth 1: Vulnerability is a sign of weakness.

Thousands of people would choose one of the most vulnerable moments, as one of these: owning something you’ve done wrong at work, starting your own business, taking your company public; if you take a moment to realized that none of these situations had anything to do with weakness, but, perhaps, one of our most accurate measures of courage. Every entrepreneurial endeavor, by its very definition, is courageous and risky.

• Myth 2: You Can Opt Out of Vulnerability.

Vulnerability is the combination of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. Welcome to entrepreneurship. Vulnerability is a natural condition of the work that we do—it isn’t a choice but a consequence. To declare oneself “not vulnerable” would be inauthentic and would leave a leader living in a perpetual state of denial and stress. So it’s better and more courageous for every leader to acknowledge the fact that vulnerability is there.

• Myth 3: Vulnerability Means Letting It All Hang Out.

Revealing personal details to the public to the point of bad taste isn’t “vulnerability”, nor is it courageous. Purposeful vulnerability without boundaries is attention-seeking behavior that actually appears to others as desperate.

• Myth 4: I Can Do It Alone.

None of us, in recognizing our vulnerability, should pretend we are able to do it alone. When we ask others “Can you help me with this? What are your thoughts on this issue? Are you willing to work on this together with me?” we are expressing our vulnerabilities in a courageous and positive way. Talk about the struggles you’ve overcome, and demonstrate that it really is possible to remain strong and resilient in the face of difficult times.