Vulnerability - a Sign of Courage?
We all experience uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. But how do express it?
Many of us were told by our parents to stop being a baby, that big boys don’t cry, and to suck it up, I know I was. Those who compete in sports or have been in the military know the code of not exposing our feelings. Therefore often, guys carry this into our relationships, marriages, friendships, and business. We believe that it is somehow taboo to be vulnerable.
We want to be courageous. But what does it take to achieve this - mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty? Webster’s definition of Vulnerability – capable of becoming physically or emotionally wounded. But both encompass taking on uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. So, is vulnerability courage?
Brene Brown, one of my favorite authors, is a self-proclaimed perfectionist who states she wears exhaustion as a status symbol. She states: “Coming out of things in myself, I didn’t think I could, but it made me who I am.” She talks about how we are in a struggle between trying to make our kids happy or raising brave, engaged human beings.
I believe we do similar things in business but do not realize it. Our struggles make us who we are – we embrace them or are defeated by them. Vulnerability is at the center of our human experience, and yet we only show that state when something tragic has happened to us. But what about life in general?
According to the Harvard Business Review, opening up breeds greater levels of hope and trust which can in turn improve employee performance.
To Brown, vulnerability is courage – our willingness to show up and be seen in our lives even if things don’t go well. We don’t want to be gullible, be taken advantage of, having others think we are weak. But Brown states that she has not found one example of courage in her 11,000 subjects that was not born out of vulnerability “the courage to be imperfect.”
Our perception of vulnerability provides us permission not to deal with it. Your mind resists what is unfamiliar and returns to what is familiar. It is hard to practice what is uncomfortable! Yet, that is what change is all about.
Even the Apostles in the Bible failed in so many ways, but they acted on what they knew. That’s what we are called to do. Act on what we know, correct our path, and take the corrected path. That is vulnerability!
The Truth Vulnerability:
Improves Trust
Boosts Creativity
Makes Workplace Safer
It helps build Intimacy in Relationships.
It increases Self-Worth.
It aids Innovation and Motivation.
It provokes Compassion.
It is a call for Accountability.
To be sure, you don’t want to be too vulnerable at work. If you overshare, for instance, and excessively express self-doubt, colleagues may start to question your credibility. You also don’t want to fake it. “When vulnerability veers away from authenticity, it can tend to feel scripted.
Be vulnerable enough to embrace it, get in touch.
