Vulnerability is an indispensable quality in our personal and professional lives . It is necessary to generate connection in organizations, but also for them to move forward, accepting our limitations and overcoming mistakes.
Some time ago, Silvia Fradera, founder of Ready for People, explained her own experience with vulnerability: through the discovery of Brené Brown and the keys to authentic leadership.
On this occasion, we will take a look at the magnificent Ted Talk The power of vulnerability and review some of its lessons for organizations as a whole at a time of feedback like the present. If you are interested, read on!
Brené Brown has spent the last two decades researching themes that mark our social behavior: shame, courage and, at the heart of it all, vulnerability. As she explains, this quality is at the origin of feelings such as fear.
Fear of what? For example, of not measuring up: neither in our personal lives nor as professionals, which is defined as "imposter syndrome". Vulnerability also causes us to panic about making mistakes, about imperfection and, finally, about not deserving connection with other people.
However, we need vulnerability to live: it is the source of happiness, creativity and belonging. When we desensitize this feeling, we can neither show ourselves as we really are nor develop all the potential we have within us.
Most people try to cling to an ideal of perfection that we cannot reach and this generates frustration. Also a demand towards oneself that is transferred to others, generating expectations that can never be satisfied.
The key, as Brené Brown concludes, is to accept ourselves: we are imperfect, but we are "enough". Only then will we be genuine, authentic and creative people, capable of working in teams and moving organizations forward.
In organizations, it is necessary to embrace vulnerability at all levels. As professionals, we must incorporate the mistakes that have made us learn and continue to develop. Without them, we would not have made it this far!
Accepting these imperfections should also lead to empathy: the basis for communication, respect and teamwork in a healthy business environment.
In this way, good feedback, which is continuous and helps individual and team development, must be based on vulnerability and the acceptance of mistakes from all parties. Only in this way will it achieve its objective of growth and continuous improvement.
As Silvia Fradera explained in her post, leaders need to be able to be vulnerable. This will not be seen as a position of weakness, but of empathy and mutual understanding, which will facilitate honest and bidirectional communication in the organization.
From Ready for Peoplewe offer various experiences for the development of teams through feedback. Below you can see two trainings that you can do with your team remotely:
If you want to go deeper into Brené Brown's ideas, you can watch her Ted Talk The Power of Vulnerability below. I'm sure you will find it interesting, as each person extracts different keys from her vision as a researcher.
And, if you would like to receive more information about our team development experiences or if you have any questions, please contact us!