Being vulnerable vs. the world of work

As in the animal world, the corporate ecosystem has always been shown as a world for the strongest. Survival (or competitiveness) at the cost of strength, power, and inaccessibility. The imposing figure of unwavering leaders.

It's believed that the world of work is at odds with vulnerability. More particularly with emotions, and opening up authentically. With being transparent, and lowering our defenses to be ourselves. But how true is this?

Vulnerability, in general, is not a popular concept. Although it practically doesn't even exist in the business world, we want to explore this concept, its definition, and what unexpected effects arise when vulnerability appears in the workplace.

What is vulnerability?

It's necessary to first, take a few steps back and review the meaning of vulnerability and how it's perceived in the office.

Vulnerability refers to the disadvantaged condition of an individual, community, or system in the face of a threat and the lack of resources necessary to overcome the damage. Due to its etymological roots, it's synthesized to "the quality that a person has of being exposed to an injury."

However, since it is also a quality, it's also an aptitude that allows us to be open to the conditions of the world to which we are exposed, whether good or bad.?

It's crucial because it involves being aware and considerate of the environment, other people, situations we are in, and ourselves. Vulnerability can then become an introspective work, deeply related to the exercise of self-reflection, that is, to think and question oneself.

We have been taught to show confidence at work, be imposing, and be inflexible to sustain our ideas and projects. This makes us believe that mistakes can result in our work being undervalued, or we may even lose our jobs. In leadership positions, it's unthinkable to show vulnerability, since it's almost considered a hindrance for them.

Vulnerability at work

A team without vulnerability has a high probability of failure. It would mean there is no openness to detect errors in the work system, and therefore no opportunity for improvement. Creative processes would remain static, resulting in paralysis for innovation since without "trial and error" experimentation there is no way for new ideas to be generated.

Vulnerability in the members of the work team is also fundamental to achieving spaces of psychological security, where employees are free to express their opinions and contribute, without fear of negative consequences of any kind. This has a positive impact on the level of commitment of employees to their work and the company. According to a Gallup study, a corporate culture governed by these principles is 14% more productive.

Designing a culture of responsibility and proper Failure Management means losing the fear of trying. It also encourages effective communication and constant feedback, where there is cohesion in the work team, there is structure and clarity of where they should walk together to achieve a common goal.

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How to be more vulnerable?

Now, like many important organizational changes, it looks great on paper, but when it comes to the theory, we run into complications.

A real problem we notice when we talk to our clients about improving their corporate cultures is that vulnerability seems too abstract to apply on the job. And while there is no manual, we know how to take those first steps.

First and foremost, it's important to understand that being vulnerable in a work environment is not about crying as much as you can with your team, taking complaints to the limit, or disclosing personal problems. It is about being brave enough to communicate or take on uncertainty and daily challenges with transparency, honesty, and trust.

These are some of the best practices we always suggest to our clients to exercise vulnerability at work:

Accept your vulnerability and take risks:

Accepting vulnerability at all hierarchical levels is the only way to reexamine the old idea that organizations must work like machines, under the absurd premise that mistakes will not happen. And if they do, they will be punished.

People must recognize work failures or identify improvements to get the job done. In this way, they participate in the generation of ideas and alternatives for the activities they perform. Not all ideas will be approved or granted, but if there are no proposals -and failures,- there will be no substantial changes.

Psychological Safety is paramount for vulnerability. Explore our Psychological Safety Workshop here .

Recognize and share shame:

Belittling, playing favorites, insulting, humiliating, and harassing indicate that shame has taken over a culture. It is much more evident when they are used to lead.

These actions spread quickly and can sabotage projects for fear of communicating doubts or deficiencies promptly, preventing transparency in the processes involved and increasing the possibility of making mistakes.

So if this happens in a workspace, we must stop these injustices. Shame prevents us from being vulnerable for fear of negative judgments, so an important step to recognize ourselves in this way is to face it.

Exercise vulnerability daily:

Vulnerability looks in different ways in small, minimal, everyday actions. Sometimes it is being honest and when we don't have all the answers, daring to say "I don't know, what do you think?". Sometimes it is accepting a mistake openly, motivating others to do the same.

Vulnerability also appears when we share a reasonable amount of ourselves. For example, if we ask for a day off, the next day we can share that it was because our child felt bad at school, or because a pipe broke down at home. These are small details, but they show the person behind the professional.

Spaces in the work schedule to share more about ourselves, or even making feedback a recurring activity, are also ways to exercise the vulnerability muscle.

As you can see, vulnerability is as important as nuance within a workspace. Although we have learned to fear this concept, the reality is that when applied in the right doses, it is a key piece to completing a space of psychological safety, and therefore, relevant in developing innovation and high performance.

Our Fuckup Nights events for companies are a powerful combination of storytelling and vulnerability, perfect for inspiring and motivating openness and transparency among entire teams. Learn how you can bring this format to your organization here: https://bit.ly/FuN-at-work