Rumbling with Vulnerability: The Hidden Strength in Leadership
“Our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability.”
In our Courageous Leadership & Mental Health blog series, we introduced you to “Learning to Rise,” one of the four skill sets emphasized in Brené Brown's Dare to Lead™ program that fosters courageous leadership and provided you with a user-friendly guide that can help you navigate this transformative process.
As we continue our exploration, we turn our attention to “Rumbling with Vulnerability,” identified as the next significant challenge by 35% of the leaders in our LinkedIn poll. This skill is vital to fostering a mentally healthy workplace, influencing how leaders understand, handle, and respond to emotional health within their teams.
When we talk about rumbling with vulnerability, it's essential to understand what 'rumble' means in this context. In Brené Brown's own words,
"A rumble is a discussion, conversation, or meeting defined by a commitment to lean into vulnerability, to stay curious and generous, to stick with the messy middle of problem identification and solving, to take a break and circle back when necessary, to be fearless in owning our parts, and to listen with the same passion with which we want to be heard."
This understanding of a rumble offers us a new lens through which we can view the challenges and potential solutions around mental health in our organizations.
Rumbling with Vulnerability isn't just about expressing emotions openly; it's about engaging with them in a way that fosters understanding, trust, and connection, cultivating psychologically safe workplaces where mental health can be openly discussed and supported.
Brené Brown emphasizes, 'Daring leaders work to make sure people can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging.' Achieving this sense of belonging requires leaders to step courageously into the discomfort of vulnerability, fostering and modelling a culture of care and inclusivity.
Rumbling with Vulnerability challenges leaders to let go of control, embrace uncertainty, and engage in tough conversations. It means acknowledging their own emotions and fears and setting an example for the team to do the same. It's a crucial aspect of leadership that catalyzes open discussions about mental health in the workplace. By fostering a culture where vulnerability is embraced, leaders can work towards normalizing mental health conversations, reducing associated stigma, and cultivating a psychologically safe work environment. This practice is the cornerstone in establishing trust within teams, paving the way for improved mental well-being and overall productivity.
Why should leaders care about vulnerability, especially in the context of mental health in organizations?
MHI Associate and Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator Bonnie DePaul lends her voice to this vital conversation on leadership and vulnerability. Drawing from her experiences and insights, Bonnie illustrates how vulnerability, often misconceived as a weakness, is an essential aspect of impactful leadership. Through her narrative, she demonstrates the powerful influence of vulnerability on mental health conversations in professional settings and underscores the importance of rumbling with vulnerability.
Read on as she challenges traditional notions of vulnerability in the workplace and clarifies how to foster it in everyday leadership practices.
“Early in my leadership development journey, I avoided being vulnerable. I mistakenly believed that vulnerability was a sign of weakness in the workplace. If I didn't know something, I would spend hours researching and learning it myself rather than asking for help. According to Brene Brown, vulnerability is the emotion that we experience during times of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. Recognizing this, it's clear now that courageous leadership requires vulnerability. Talking to direct reports about their mental health is an area many leaders find challenging. An experience from years ago changed my perspective on this.
Over a 3-month period, I noticed one of the managers who reported to me was making uncharacteristic errors in her reports. She started missing deadlines and repeatedly asked the same questions, seemingly forgetting previous conversations. Her change in behaviour was concerning. I decided to talk to her, sharing my observations and providing specific examples. Initially, she was defensive. I emphasized that my concerns weren't about her performance but genuinely about her well-being. Our conversation ended with her in quiet contemplation, and I wondered if I'd done the right thing.
A few months later, she thanked me for that talk. She had discussed my concerns with her partner, who echoed similar sentiments. She then revealed, with visible emotion, that she'd been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. That day, I felt deeply grateful for choosing courage over comfort.
As leaders, we need to model vulnerability. Creating a culture where mental health conversations are normalized is essential. Sharing our own challenges, being honest about our mistakes, and genuinely asking how individuals REALLY feel are three ways to give others permission to rumble with vulnerability.”
“Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
As we continue our Courageous Leadership & Mental Health blog series, our next installment will focus on the third most challenging skill according to our LinkedIn. poll – “Braving Trust.”
We'll explore its transformative impact on leadership practices, organizational culture, team dynamics, and its role in fostering an environment conducive to supporting mental health and resilience in the workplace. Stay tuned!
We’re here to help.
If your organization wants to build courageous leaders who are not afraid to have tough conversations, our qualified experts are ready to guide and support you.
For a deeper dive into our approach, contact us at info@mhic-cism.com to book a complimentary "Daring Leadership Culture Consultation." This one-on-one session will help identify if our program is a good fit for your organization.