The amazing – and scary – thing about creating a transformative business is that there is no roadmap.
You can’t exactly buy a copy of “Creating Value for Dummies” from Amazon and Indigo.
It takes a tremendous amount of chutzpah to step into that fog, where there is no map, no guidebook from 50 other companies, and literally build something from scratch.
It takes courage and it takes confidence.
But confidence is a double-edged sword.
Taken too far it can become pushy, brash, egotistical, even arrogant.
I’m increasingly motivated by the idea that the greatest confidence we can show as leaders is vulnerability.
The confidence to say “I don’t understand can you explain it to me again (and again if necessary)”
The confidence to admit “I don’t have all the answers and I’m open to your ideas”
The confidence to confess “I was wrong and I’ve learned from that”
There was a time we idolized the omnipotent leader who had all the experience and knew all the answers. We worshipped false gods IMHO and created shaky and terrible businesses because of it.
I’ve come to appreciate and relish the idea of a leadership team that has the confidence to be vulnerable.
Recently I had the extreme good fortune to spend an hour with some really fantastic leaders (and friends) discussing the topic of leadership vulnerability - particularly now in this period where the world is gripped by the COVID-19 virus.
In the podcast below, you’ll hear this heartfelt request from me:
“If leaders don’t take this moment as an opportunity for deep introspection, to understand why their organization deserves to exist and what exactly they’re doing to move their people forward, they will look back on this time as a significantly missed opportunity.”
Enjoy the podcast and I strongly encourage you to follow the three other participants, Mark Edgar of the Goat Rodeo Project, Garry Turner host of the “Value through Vulnerability” podcast series and Mike Vacanti, Founder and Leader of the HumansFirst movement.
Each of them are remarkable leaders and wonderful humans. It is a privilege to call them friends.
We are all in uncharted territory and that means that, as leaders, we need to have the confidence to accept we don’t have the answers. No-one does if truth be told. In the current environment if you believe that projecting invincibility is the path forward, I’d suggest to you that’s just not credible.
Dear Reader – my ask of you, how vulnerable are you willing to be as you grow your company? Which of your colleagues could you show that vulnerability to – and how quickly might you build their confidence by doing so?
Vulnerability may just be the new invincibility.