Confidence and Vulnerability

Confidence & Vulnerability.

When we share our mistakes and  failures, we become more approachable.

We come across as Human.  We feel no pressure to be the best, or have all the answers.

Vulnerability doesn’t come easily to us. There is the fear that we may be perceived as ‘weak’ or it may undermine our Confidence.

The good news is that it’s possible to be Confidently Vulnerable.

Reframing our language, with ourselves and  with others, to see failure as normal part of learning process is a good place to start.

Sharing  pivotal  (sometimes called ‘crucible’) life moments creates psychological safety around us, though this may take some time..

This does not come easy and may seem awkward. That’s precisely why it works.

This applies equally to leadership and teams.

Leaders who have the humility to share their vulnerability are more likely to foster psychological safety, openness and creativity (sharing
ideas) in their teams.

Sharing feedback Received seems to be more important than Taking feedback.

This is also backed by Research. Two studies were done in mid 2022 by Harvard Business Review.

The results of both  revealed that when leaders share their own mistakes with humility, even unethical behaviours like falsifying expense reimbursements reduced.

The caveat here is: sharing with genuine humility; not to  boost ego.

Humility it is said is the crest of human excellence – between arrogance and lowliness.

Vulnerability coupled with genuine humility, can make  us Confidently Vulnerable.

What has been your experience especially at the workplace? As a Leader Or team member?

Do share in the comments.

#skillgrill #teams #consciousleadership #hr #work #confdence #humility #vulnerability