Arthur C. Brooks argues that sharing your weaknesses, not your wins, creates real connection. He cites Bernie Marcus, founder of The Home Depot, who talked about his early bankruptcies instead of his triumphs. Vulnerability makes you stronger and more relatable.
You all have weaknesses, so do I. But the truth of the matter is that your strengths, going to this fine university, getting your degree, going into getting a good job, that doesn't connect you with anybody really. That is to say, I'm better than you, not good. But if you wanna connect with people in a real way, which is to say you wanna be successful in your life and you wanna be happy, connect with your weaknesses and honesty. The Apostle Paul said, "When I'm weak, then I'm strong." And that's what he meant. So are you doing that? I had the privilege of being friends with Bernie Marcus, the founder of The Home Depot, before he passed away. When I asked him about the story of his success, he started by telling me about his early bankruptcies. He said it was so bad that his wife didn't trust him to shave with a razor blade alone in the bathroom. He talked about his failures. He didn't talk about his victories because that's actually what made his victories sweeter, and it made it possible for him, for me, to connect to him as a real person and not as some sort of entrepreneurial icon. Hi.
