Team,
At work, many people seem to think that being vulnerable is a bad thing – it could mean that you are weak or not in control. This past week, I was reminded of a valuable lesson about vulnerability after my delivery of the Town Hall message. A willingness to “Be” vulnerable opens doors to communication that are not generally available with most people. In fact, I think that it’s the foundation for open and nonjudgmental communications. I was so blown away by the number of people who thanked me for being open and sharing my personal reflections this past week. That created a path for so many of you to share your very personal and wonderful why’s with me.
Being vulnerable can be a scary prospect, especially at work. What I’ve learned though, is when someone is willing to share and put themselves out there, it demonstrates a level of trust and respect with the person or people you’re opening up to. It doesn’t mean that you need to walk around with a box of tissues and share all of your deepest secrets. It simply means that you show the confidence to be authentic, put aside any pretenses and be your real self. This is an especially valuable lesson for our leaders at OneDigital. A leader who is willing to be vulnerable and authentic is one who checks his or her ego at the door, is comfortable with not having all the answers, and is ready to wholeheartedly embrace the perspectives, opinions, and thoughts of his or her people. When you are vulnerable, your team feels more connected, invested, respected and vital to the organization. We all benefit.
It’s really awesome to be able to sit back and listen to the aspirations of the business through the eyes of the team you lead. The energy and enthusiasm I witnessed at this last conference was inspiring and directly affirms my WHY. It’s all of you, and I am awed and humbled to be a part of such a special group of people.
Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday and thank you for always “having my back”!!
Adam
