Vulnerability is the new black?
It’s true: Vulnerability is trending. Well perhaps not in practice, but it’s on the lips of a number of thought leaders at the moment. We covered authenticity and now are digging deeper, and exposing that most insidiously career limiting quality of all: Vulnerability.But is it really career limiting?John Hagel, Co Chairman of Deloitte Centre for the Edge would have us believe that vulnerability is a key attribute of leadership.Houston University Researcher Brene Brown (@brenebrown) tells us
Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, innovation and change.
Please take twenty minutes and watch this onehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=share Lisa Petrilli tells us that when leaders show vulnerability, they gain a tighter, more trusting team.
You can’t get to second base if you never take your foot off first…
I recall one CEO I worked with on a culture change program was trying to create a culture of innovation. One of his senior consulting engineers made a very costly mistake with a client. In making the error the consultant was very very vulnerable. The rest of the execs wanted to see him sacked for it. The CEO stood his ground, he said it was important that the rest of the workforce knew it was OK to take a risk and get it wrong. Innovation required risk taking. To take risks you will be vulnerable.From a change management perspective it raises the issue of what does it mean to be a change manager? Are you there to control the change agenda, mitigate risk and throttle the innovative potential with project frameworks and stage gate methodologies. Or are you there as navigator and coach – acknowledging that change may not be managed, simply directed. Appreciating the inherent ambiguities and associated vulnerability.Being comfortable with vulnerability is a major challenge for me – both professionally and personally. Asking for help really hurts, I'm the giver of help, not the taker (and it's ok, I also am well aware of the flawed thinking that leads me to that obsrevation, work in progress people!). I know I am in good company. I also know I would rather be the navigator and coach, the leader and innovator, the risk taker and conversation starter. To use Brene Brown’s language, that is for me, a whole-hearted career.But what of you? Where do you see vulnerability fitting into your organisational capabilities? Your leadership programs? Your career transitions. Would love to hear…