“The definition of vulnerability is uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. But vulnerability is not weakness: it’s our most accurate measure of courage.”
~ Brené Brown
Given the first part of the definition above, it is no wonder that we want to sprint away from the whole idea of vulnerability. We want to build defenses so high that no monster can get through. Yet, vulnerability chases us down. We do not have crystal balls and invisible cloaks that will safeguard us from the eventualities of life. We are human and vulnerability is our lifelong companion.
As this anonymous quote bluntly says:
“You don’t protect your heart by acting like you don’t have one.”
Expressed in the second part of the quote above, by courageously acknowledging and embracing the paradox of fragility and power inherent in vulnerability, we have the opportunity for healing and transformation. Our broken pieces coalesce into a whole. No more hiding. No more half-living. We come fully into our own being.
In his poem, Not Here, Rumi says:
(Excerpts)
“There’s courage involved if you want
to become truth.“
………………
“I want a howling hurt. This is not a treasury
where gold is stored; this is for copper.“
“We alchemists look for talent that
Can heat up and change.“
“Lukewarm won’t do. Halfhearted holding back,
well-enough getting by? Not here.“
We must begin with ourselves, but there is no one size fits all. There are nuanced manifestations. When we bravely take this precious learning into the world, particularly our professional world, it deserves to be handled with care and respect, not to be wielded like a blunt instrument.
Jacob Morgan, futurist and author of the book, Leading with Vulnerability, expresses it thus:
“Vulnerability alone can cause far more harm than good at work, whereas vulnerability combined with leadership can create a massive positive IMPACT for you and those around you.”
After interviewing over 100 CEO’s around the world and surveying nearly 14,000 employees from a range of successful, diverse companies he discovered that overall, there are five different types of vulnerable leaders. He describes them as superheroes, who are also human, with their attendant strengths and weaknesses. He suggests that instead of asking “which one am I?” we carefully consider “which one am I most comfortable with being?”
Just as embracing the concept of vulnerability requires continuous courage, learning and growth, demonstrating vulnerability with leadership must harness strength, insight and wisdom to be a force for good in optimizing human potential.
“We are all broken by something. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. We all share the condition of brokenness, even if our brokenness is not equivalent […] Our shared vulnerability and imperfection nurtures and sustains our capacity for compassion. We have a choice. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. Or we can deny our brokenness, foreswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity.”
~ Bryan Stevenson
