Discover 4 ways to show leadership Vulnerability in business
In 2007, Starbucks was experiencing the worst decline in the company’s history. Howard Schultz made It clear that if the company does not change, the Starbucks business will have to end. His openness, transparency and leadership vulnerability allowed Howard to connect with his employees, regrowing Starbucks to be one of the best brands in the world. This is an excellent example of leadership vulnerability, leading to positive lasting change.
When I talk about vulnerability, I am not talking about someone who is weak and who are easily hurt, emotionally or physically- vulnerability is more than that. It is about encouraging you to foster strong relationships, admit your mistakes, and have a willingness to share your success. In the workplace, vulnerability is the root of authentic leadership and meaningful connection.
Just like myself, so many leaders have been conditioned to perceive vulnerability as a sign of weakness, however, if you don’t show leadership vulnerability and model it to your employees, your business won’t grow. Taking the time to be open will foster greater creativity, increased employee engagement and as a result a better business. What do you have to lose?
I get it, being vulnerable takes courage. It won’t be achieved overnight. You need the courage to talk about the problem, and most importantly show care when your employees and clients are in a vulnerable position. So, if you can’t master this skill overnight, where do you start? This article will teach you the common mistakes business owners make to hinder them from achieving leadership vulnerability and teach you effective principles to become more open, honest, and build effective relationship to build the business you desire.
Stop saying ‘I know’
Displaying leadership vulnerability is about being open to learning something new, rather than stopping yourself from growing intellectually. Yes, you may know something, but how can you expand that knowledge? What else can you learn? Next time when someone tells you something you supposedly ‘know,’ reply with ‘isn’t that interesting…’ That way, you are letting yourself be open to new ideas.
Some of the business owners should be more open to accepting include how to effectively deal with leadership burnout, be willing to accept and implement new ideas to successfully scale their business and be open to have more effective meetings to stop wasting time and increase employee engagement.
Show willingness to share credit and success
Think about the most successful entrepreneurs, such as Alan Sugar and Bill Gates– do you think they became successful purely by themselves? Certainly not. You have a team for a reason, they are there to share your successes with you. Therefore, give credit to your team members who have worked hard with you to get your business to where it is to now. You may be wondering how you can credit your team members more. Here are some useful ideas.
It is common for business owners to face low employee engagement in their business – this is not advantageous for driving business performance and increasing productivity in the workplace. Part of leadership vulnerability is also devising ways to make your employees happier, productive and engaged in your workplace.
Model leadership vulnerability
If you can’t express leadership vulnerability yourself, your employees will not be able to either. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t have all the answers or be wrong. The right thing you can do is engage in active listening to truly hear other people’s ideas and answers. Here are some other ways you can successfully model leadership vulnerability in the workplace.
Prioritize relationships first, business second
Once you start building strong relationships, your business will become better and stronger. If your clients do not have trust in you, they will not buy from you and most importantly open up to their needs. Hopefully, you are aware of the importance of building a rapport before making any sort of sale. Here is how you can build a successful relationship with your customers.
Vulnerability is a sign of strength. Your team becomes more engaged, you learn new ideas and your business will expand substantially. If team engagement and modelling vulnerability in the workplace is something you are still struggling with, email me at stevegaskell@actioncoach.com and I will be more than happy to provide you with a free coaching session to explore your struggles and solutions. Success loves action!
