Being Vulnerable Matters

Over the last couple of months, working as a board member and through my leadership development work, I have been talking about vulnerability, and the importance for leaders and leadership teams to show their courage by allowing themselves to be vulnerable.

We are living in times, as we all know, where people are feeling exposed and vulnerable, perhaps for some in more amplified forms than for decades, for some, in a way they have never felt before.

In times where we, feel exhausted just by paddling enough to keep our heads above water, it is really important not to, lose perspective and context for those around us. It is so vital that we, as leaders, are seen as human ourselves, as compassionate and as fallible. In order to lead people we have to be relatable.

In my own roles in leadership, I often take a few minutes to reflect, to be human and to challenge myself, to ensure that I take that awareness into meetings and conversations with those I need to trust me.

Here are three of the key questions I use to reflect on:

1) What 3 words would your peers use to describe me as a leader and why?

2) What behaviour am I actively trying to unlearn in order to evolve as a leader?

3) Have I been personally disappointed in my own behaviour recently as a leader, when and why... and what can I learn from that?

#leadershipdevelopment #learning #simplethinking