Hmm… Vulnerability for Leaders and self-development… Sounds rather counterintuitive as a philosophy for Leadership growth doesn’t it?
Our Western World applauds the resilient Leader who has battled adversity through sheer selfless willpower to go that extra mile to achieve his or her goal, perhaps creating the “Hero” archetype that we are familiar with.
Yet all of this doesn’t really chime with our understanding of Vulnerability, defined as it is as by having a personality trait that means we are susceptible to being hurt, influenced etc. And in fact, to clarify things, Vulnerability in Coaching Terms has a different meaning to Vulnerability as it is generally accepted.
Vulnerability in coaching is defined by the ability of an individual to be open to developing deep self-awareness, which realistically means being able to identify, accept and understand one’s strengths alongside our weaknesses, faults, peccadilloes, challenges and triggers.
Put another way, in order to get the most from Coaching our Vulnerabilities, it is best for us to be in a state of Being Vulnerable or open to exploring our weaknesses, which are in effect our vulnerabilities.
For example, if we ask the deep questions about how a sportsperson, business leader or politician has really achieved things, the reality is that there must be more going on than pure single mindedness or the will to succeed. Could it be that this person has achieved these incredible feats because they understand and work within their personal limits better than others (ultimate practice / repetition rather than relying on talent)?
Or perhaps if they are a Leader, they understand what they are truly good at, alongside what they are not so good at, such that they are able to attract, nurture and embrace the skills and abilities of others. Or maybe they have allowed themselves to look deep inside and work out that their actions have real impacts on others (good and bad). Perhaps, thinking in the wider perspective they know and are at peace with what they can control in life and what he cannot, and therefore are able to make appropriate decisions accordingly.
All this self-awareness belies an archetype of the perennial achiever who has the single-minded mental fortitude to take on all challenges and challengers and to defeat them.
Some say that you are either born as an achiever or a non-achiever. Unlike that elusive charisma (which maybe no money can buy and no trainer can teach), we can all take the time to develop our self-awareness (warts and all) and to better understand our limitations to create a more rounded leader, one who is better able to deal with the slings and arrows of modern life, and with hard work, reflection and acceptance of our vulnerabilities, become a more “Human” human being.
Paul Austin is an Associate of Verosa Limited