V is for Vulnerability

V is for Vulnerability

When you first became a manager did you feel that you had to have all the answers to be good at your job? I did! It made me feel like the expert, justifying my promotion! I wanted to be seen as the ‘go to’ person who could cope with anything.  It wasn’t long before I noticed the downside of this approach! Lack of congruency started to dissolve trust, being seen as the expert meant others relied on me to make decisions.

When I started to share some of, what I saw as, my weaknesses I have to admit, I was anxious. Would people use them against me? What I learnt was that when you are being vulnerable, it’s the only time you are truly being authentic to yourself and that is so liberating. I know that when you dare to reveal things about yourself you are really putting yourself out there, but by being brave you are also able to stop others using them as a tool to manipulate as they no longer have your ‘fear of being found out’ as a lever.

There are lots of things that we are having to be brave about at the moment, but as Brene Brown says ‘vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and growth’. So my question to you is – ‘are you allowing your vulnerabilities to hold you back or are you being courageous and using them as a way to help you reach your potential?’