Next, you can create long-term improvements in your team’s psychological safety by sharing some of your personal developmental journey. At these pivotal moments when we are feeling vulnerable, we need to talk to ourselves and others with phrases like, “The brain is a muscle that gets stronger with practice” and “Nobody ever walked before they fell.” Language lets leaders model that it’s human, and normal, to learn and make mistakes. The first step in confident vulnerability is using language - with ourselves and with others - that helps us remember that learning comes with practice. My brain started telling me I was failing. The camera made me feel unnatural and I was not impressing senior leaders the way I wanted to. The first few attempts, I was badly missing all the cues of social interaction, my mouth went dry, and I didn’t know where to put my hands.
#Big little reveal ideas full#
For example, I had to start teaching to a camera instead of a room full of people.
#Big little reveal ideas how to#
If we’re not careful, we can make learning feel like failure as soon as it isn’t going perfectly.ĭuring Covid lockdown, lots of us had to learn how to do our jobs in new ways. How do you talk to yourself and your team when you’re trying something new? Our self-talk and the language we use is important.
So how do you strike the right balance? Here’s how to show vulnerability with skill. Even in fast-changing environments where humility and learning mindsets are needed, leaders who only advertise weaknesses can seem unconfident. Of course, great leadership is not about being weak. In fact, the feeling of wanting to hide our limitations is exactly what makes many leaders feel imposter syndrome in the first place, especially when they get promoted into new positions and are forming new relationships. Even though this style of leadership works better than dominance in high-change environments, that doesn’t mean it feels good. It’s hard for many leaders to use their uncertainty and vulnerability to their advantage. How could he model his own vulnerability without appearing weak? How to Show Confident Vulnerability Fabian saw how he could only get this from his team if he created a culture where employees felt safe to experiment and learn.īut as he packed up his things, Fabian felt anxious about how he could show he was okay with learning and mistakes without losing his credibility. His company had sent him to this leadership course, which emphasized how, in order for organizations to adapt quickly and frequently, employees needed to be willing to try new things. He was finding it harder and harder to “have all the answers.” His team wasn’t responding fast enough to clients’ changing expectations, and he watched three of his best team members leave the company, even though he matched their offers. Across his career, he tried to emulate the people who rose into leadership by acting like “the smartest person in the room.”īut over the last five years, Fabian had been losing business to competitors.
There, he learned that the best leaders demand operational efficiency and perfection out of their teams. He knew what he had to do, and yet he didn’t know how to actually do it.įabian had been promoted up through the ranks of a global construction firm, starting in 1994 out of his university as part of a rotational management program. Confident vulnerability means that leaders can put their self-doubts to work for them.įabian was feeling anxious as he left the leadership training course. By showing appreciation for the moral strengths of others, and by acknowledging that others have more knowledge and skills in solving ethical dilemmas, a leader initiates moral focus and dialogue, but disarms followers’ perceptions of moral superiority. Revealing these learning moments signals that you are not threatened by feedback. Talk to your team about times in your life when you stumbled and got constructive feedback that you needed to improve and adapt. You can also create long-term improvements in your team’s psychological safety by sharing some of your personal developmental journey. At these pivotal moments when we are feeling vulnerable, we need to use phrases like, “The brain is a muscle that gets stronger with practice” or “Nobody ever walked before they fell.” This language lets leaders model that it’s human, and normal, to learn and make mistakes. It starts with using language - with ourselves and with others - that helps us remember that learning comes with practice. In this article, the author explains how to show “confident vulnerability” and offers three ways to open up. When leaders reveal their trip-ups and failures, they are seen as more approachable and less arrogant.
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