Many leaders don’t like the word vulnerability, because society has tended to equate vulnerability with weakness. This weekend I attended an event in New York City to listen to Brené Brown, one of my favorite researchers on vulnerability. Today I'm going to share with you what I have learned about vulnerability as the key that opens creativity, innovation, and change.
Brené has presented at two TED conference, the latest one posted in March 2012 (you can watch the video at the end of the post. Well worth the 20 minutes). When I saw her first TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” I was hooked as soon as she shared that “vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, creativity, innovation, and adaptability.”
In her talk this Saturday she reminded us that vulnerability is the best measurement of our courage. To be vulnerable is to put oneself in the arena, possible object of critique, envy or other negative attitudes. But unless we have the courage to be vulnerable we will not be able to lead, create or change.
Vulnerability gives you freedom to fail
Companies tend to be adverse to risk. If you fail at something, it hurts your career. Yet to innovate, you need to be able to try new things without risking your livelihood. I love this quote by Theodore Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
That’s how you measure your courage! By your willingness to be vulnerable. That’s how companies can encourage innovation and change!
You can't create something that's never been created without making your ideas or inventions vulnerable to criticism or failure.
You need to go to the arena and be vulnerable.
You can't change without stepping out of your comfort zone. You must make yourself vulnerable to your fears of the unknown.
You need to go to the arena and be vulnerable.
You can’t change without allowing yourself to be real and open with yourself and others.
You need to go to the arena and be vulnerable.
You can’t create without letting go of what others think and be vulnerable to do what you feel you were meant to do.
You need to go to the arena and be vulnerable.
Remember. . .
If you use shame as a management tool, people will not dare to be vulnerable, to show up in the arena. You can then forget creativity and innovation. When you create a culture where people have freedom to fail without shame, they will try new things and contribute to the success of the company.
There is no good leadership without vulnerability. Have the courage to be vulnerable, to connect, and to create.
Photo by: law_keven