Vulnerable
The word vulnerable might not fit the model you have in your mind when you think of business. Instead words like "strong" "powerful" "impressive" may be more aligned to your historical thinking of business. But I poise this question on #WednesdaysWithWeppel - can vulnerability make you more successful in business?
vulnerable /ˈvəln(ə)rəb(ə)l/
capable of being physically or emotionally wounded
Vulnerability is taking a risk - and sometimes those risks can take you to a future you could never imagine.
I had a friend who wanted to get together and I hadn't seen her in over a year. While I was excited to see her I was also particularly overwhelmed that day. I had a choice - I could go or I could make an excuse. Or I could be vulnerable and explain how I was feeling and risk hurting her feelings or impacting our friendship. I took the risk. Turns out she was overwhelmed too. We spent the afternoon texting back and forth and in the process built a stronger relationship. It was worth risking the relationship to build it stronger.
I had a customer years ago where we were having quality challenges. I spoke with the team and heard about multiple review cycles, changes that didn't really make an impact and unhappy customers. I had a choice - I could either put more process in place to improve quality or I could have a candid conversation with the customer and see if there was another root cause. I took the risk. It turns out that as I've said "Change is hard" and her team was struggling with their place in the new world of working together. We set up some meetings to get those feelings on the table and made space and purpose for everyone on the team. The quality improved and so did the relationship.
In both scenarios, personal and business, there was a definite risk. But by being vulnerable I was able to find an amazing future. I could have been hurt and the relationships could have been damaged in the process. But the risk was worth it.
Whew, almost ended the week without reading #WednesdaysWithWeppel! Vulnerability was a word that ignored for almost all of my life. It was associated with weakness to me and with others that I thought were good role models. Boy, was I wrong. When my life was spiraling a few years ago, I realized that to be honest with myself and my support network, I needed to embrace vulnerability. I did read Dare to Lead and began to "embrace the suck" in my life. It allowed me to recognize my blind spots and know where and how to ask for help. What a difference it made in my ascension.
Love this, Sheri! By being vulnerable, you are putting a lot of trust on ther other person, without being definite about the outcome. Sometimes it does bite you back, but at most of the instances, it delivers positively. I had a very similar situation at work, few years back, where we were working on an absolutely crunched schedule and the Client was just adding up to the list. The team still could have delivered, by a tad compromise on quality, but I chose to rather apprise the Client about the risks and the aftermath. I even suggested to bring in another partner and that, we can actually support onboarding them on the project to meet the timelines effectively. There was a huge risk clearly but it really projected us as a courageous partner, who placed Client's interest over our own business interest. The relationship instantly elevated and the Client's POC actually became our voice within the Client organization. Keep these coming, Sheri! You have Wednesdays more interesting for us :)
LOVE. Reminds me of Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead. I had a transparent and “vulnerable” call today with a client. He was so appreciative. Affirmed the trust and relationship we had. Will pay off for both parties. If he’s reading this…thank you B 💕