In June this year, I obtained a postgraduate degree from the Corvinus University of budapest in Corporate Internal and Executive Coaching. As a thesis topic, I chose the ability of leaders to embrace vulnerability. This topic has been with me for years, so I decided that this would be a good opportunity to explore it in more depth and to conduct a quantitative research on it - also because I have often faced the challenges and benefits of embracing vulnerability in my own career.
At first glance, we might think that vulnerability is something definitely negative, as if you are vulnerable, you are defenceless and can be easily harmed. However, embracing vulnerability is about embracing our whole being, including all our imperfections, towards ourselves and the outside world. As of one of the most famous scholars on the subject suggests, vulnerability is the key to shame, fear and our struggle for worth, but also to joy, creativity, belonging and love (Brown, 2011).
And what does this have to do with the corporate sector? You may be surprised, dear reader, but a lot of research proves that it has a lot! Without being exhaustive, if a leader is able to embrace vulnerability in front of his or her team or even the whole company, it can have a positive impact on credibility, trust, innovation, team cohesion, creativity, efficiency and ultimately, because of these, business success. This shows that in today's world, it is worth being brave and embracing our vulnerabilities as leaders.
Due to the number of responses (66 respondents), my research cannot be said to be representative , but I would like to share a number of interesting findings:
Around half of the respondents had heard of vulnerability in a corporate context, but the same number of respondents reported that they had more negative thoughts and feelings about vulnerability than positive. After being given a definition, almost 80% of respondents considered the concept to be positive, which leads to the conclusion that it is very important to define the concept precisely and to raise awareness of it.
83% of respondents gave specific personal examples of vulnerability in their workplace, despite this being an open-ended question with an optional response. This high proportion may indicate that people like to talk about this topic (and would like to talk more about it) and are happy to share their own experiences.
A few specific examples: "how are you?" circle at the beginning of meetings, sharing feelings about work and colleagues, sharing health problems, communicating honestly about how the organisation works and work processes, sharing experiences of burnout, sharing failures while celebrating successes, signalling overwork, sharing personal problems, acknowledging own mistakes, being honest in serious situations, praising colleagues and being able to accept praise, accepting and sharing bad days, embracing "not knowing", asking for help from younger/less experienced colleagues, accepting feedback, self-awareness, understanding the mental state behind a performance, transparency, encouraging colleagues to share disagreements, highlighting the highlights of a day, hiring a better-skilled colleague as a manager, incorporating colleagues' ideas, sharing doubts honestly, expressing gratitude (thanks), accepting different opinions.
There were also many responses on personal motivations for embracing vulnerability, which I have divided into four main categories: the personality of the person, the attitude or example of colleagues/other managers/former bosses, strong trust in the team/company, more efficient and effective team/company due to embracing vulnerability. My personal favourite, which I think sums up the essence of the positive effects of vulnerability: "it takes less energy to admit a weakness than to "pretend" to be the perfect leader all the time".
Of course, there have been critics and I think it is important to give voice to possible dangers and fears on the subject. Several respondents highlighted their recognition of the potential benefits of embracing vulnerability, but also feared the downsides, such as "I agree with the above to the point where this trust is not abused". I think that being brave and leading by example is great, but I certainly wouldn't want to encourage anyone to blow up their existing corporate culture if they fear for their position. Everyone should use their own discretion in this area too and take into account the circumstances in which they work. That said, it is worth pushing boundaries and testing them at least in a small circle.
In addition to the examples mentioned above, I would advise the following to those who want to step out of their comfort zone and be more courageous in acknowledging their vulnerability in the workplace:
Be a whole person at work too. If something has happened to you in your personal life or you're just having a bad day, it will affect your performance at work. Involve your closest colleagues so they can support you through the tough times. You'll find that this will bring you closer and build the trust between you that is the basis of running a team or company.
Engage in personal development, see a coach. My research showed that those who regularly engaged in self-development were more aware of the benefits of vulnerability and practised it more actively. These processes can help you see yourself from the outside and support you in becoming more courageous on your journey to self-awareness.
Talk about it. Explain the concept and benefits of vulnerability to your colleagues, talk through their fears, develop shared routines that support embracing vulnerability across the team/company - more people will find it easier!
I believe this is a topic that cannot and should not be avoided in the 21st century, it is in everyone's interest to have leaders who are at peace with themselves, who can relate to others and who are able to empathise. Embracing vulnerability is not a weakness, in fact it is a major contributor to psychological safety, trust and engagement in the workplace, which can lead to better functioning teams, satisfied employees and more efficient, innovative companies.
References
Brown, B. (2011) The power of vulnerability | Brené Brown. Youtube. Available at:
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