HOW to Start in Being MORE Vulnerable | Simon Sinek

Okay, so let's be crystal clear.

What vulnerability is. Actually requires strength to do it. Requires unbelievable strength to come into a meeting and say, I'm struggling with this Covid thing. I'm not sleeping, and I fear that I'm not there for you guys.

And I'm not sure. I'm not sure what to do. I mean, that requires unbelievable strength to be able to say that to someone.

And so let us call it strength to be vulnerable, not weakness to be vulnerable.

If we are receiving feedback that we're not being vulnerable, then maybe it's true. And maybe our team, what they're really saying is, please lead us, because we feel that you're not leading us. I mean, I think that's an indication. And if you don't know how to do it.

Ask for help, call people up and say, I know I need to do this, and I don't even know the first thing to do. And start small. You don't have to go crazy. And being vulnerable doesn't mean, you know, like you're talking to your therapist in a meeting. It doesn't mean letting it all out. It doesn't mean broadcasting everything.

What it means is being honest about the daily machinations. It's totally fine for a leader to say.

I don't know what the future looks like. I have a vision. I think I know what it takes to get there, but I know I can't do it alone. I know it's going to take all of us. I think a very, very easy dipping your toe into vulnerability.

Is Covid, you know, to say.

I've never gone through anything like this before, and there's a side of me that's kind of figuring it out as I go along, and I need your help, and I need your patience, you know, to dip your toe. It's an amazing opportunity Covid has. Has offered because nobody thinks you're weak, saying, I don't know what's going to happen. You, they think you're being honest. So I think you need to start experimenting. And you need someone, preferably in the company who you trust, who can give you guidance, if, in other words, to call them up afterwards and say, how did that go? You know, you need spies to say, is that being well received? Was I okay? And even to say out loud, I don't know how to do this. I'm not good at this. I used to think vulnerability was stupid and weak. And I'm learning that it's an expression of strength, and I'm going to experiment with it simply saying, that is a step to being vulnerable. To simply say, I don't know how to be vulnerable to the team, but I want to try because I know it's important. That's where I would recommend starting.

Is there a potential danger around this? That by being vulnerable in this time of uncertainty, people are actually looking for something to hang on to right now? And by you coming and say, look, I'm vulnerable, I'm worried, I'm not sleeping, I don't know what's going to happen, etc, etc. That's what you need. That's not actually necessarily very helpful. For people who are also struggling, worried about the future of the company, they look up and go, geez, well, if the boss of the company is this stressed out, you know, I should be really worried. Is that a potential problem or could be an issue?

Goes back to my story about Cynthia, which is being strong all the time is not necessarily healthy, especially when everybody knows it's just not true. I think the difference is.

I don't know what's going to happen in the future and then stopping. What we're looking is for leadership, not certainty. What we're looking for is guidance and direction, not necessarily answers. So when somebody says, I don't know what the future holds, but I know that if we follow this vision and we work together and we're open to each other's ideas, we will get through this. That's what we're. That the leadership part is not the. I don't know what we're going to do and this is a difficult time. The leadership part is, and here's what we're going to do, here's a plan, and we might have to adjust along the way. What we're looking for is someone to guide us and point in a direction.

But the expression of the vulnerability is essential for people to want to come along. I think.