When is the Right Time to Show Vulnerability in Business?
When was the last time someone asked you how business was going? Business owners hear this question a lot, from friends, family members and other business owners. The issue is that we don’t often answer as honestly as we should.
Most of us are guilty of this. All of us want to portray our business as positively as possible, so we’re likely to answer ‘great!’ without really considering the question.
But what about when things aren’t great? It can be lonely and isolating to pretend that things are wonderful when they’re actually quite challenging.
I recently re-watched Brené Brown’s TED talk on The Power of Vulnerability. It’s a fascinating talk and I’d really recommend it. During the talk Brown muses on the humanity of shame and vulnerability. She says:
“Vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness, but it appears that it’s also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love.”
This really struck a chord with me. We often think of vulnerability as a bad thing. If we’re vulnerable we’re admitting that our business isn’t doing as well as we’d like, or that we’re not sure about which step to take next, or that we need help.
As a business owner, I can understand the thought behind all of these worries. But as a coach… I see the other side. Many of my clients come to me in a place of vulnerability, but when they do so we’re able to work together to do excellent work. On a daily basis I work with clients to facilitate growth, exciting decisions, creative strategies, new ideas and more. If those clients had been too afraid to admit that they needed my help, these positive things wouldn’t have happened.
Our perception of leadership is changing and it’s now a common school of thought that good leaders do not need to be perceived as all powerful all the time. Being confident enough in your role to show some vulnerability can be a good thing! Not only can it give you space to create relationships with the people around you, it can also enable you to call in help when needed.
After all, even solopreneurs need assistance sometimes. If you never show vulnerability it can be hard to bring in the help and expertise that you and your business need. When you’re honest about the issues you’re coming up against, you may discover that the people around you have access to the expertise you need.
Next time you hear the question: how’s business? Why not think about answering it more fully? By all means tell the asker about all the great things you’re working on, but don’t be afraid to share any challenges you’re currently dealing with too. Their response may be a pleasant surprise!
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Helen
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A great summary of Brene Brown’s talk. I have had some of my most inspiring and productive moments when taking a risk and sharing some of the wobbly bits with fellow business owners.
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