Revolutionary Leadership: Vulnerability is The X-Factor

Random Acts of Vulnerability Blog: Volume 1, June 2020

“In the past, jobs were about muscles, now they’re about brains, but in the future they’ll be about the heart.”

– Minouche Shafik

With everything that is going on in the world, I have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to navigate these racial waters. If I had to describe most of my recent journey in one word, it would be exhaustion. Near the ladder parts of the last few weeks I felt like I was in an ocean treading water. No matter how hard I moved my hands, legs or feet I continued to sink toward the bottom. I struggled with emotions of deep anger because I was forced to confront the harsh truth that I live in a reality that mirrors my ancestors’ from more than 400 hundred years ago. I felt hopeless because I knew that there was absolutely nothing that I could do to change things. I felt fear because I understood I could lose my life or one of my loved ones could lose theirs at a moment’s notice. In that dark isolated space, I could literally feel my soul crying.

As I struggled to get out of that emotional cave to show up fearless and strong for my loved ones, my staff and myself, I realized that this wasn’t the time for that. After all, I simply wasn’t strong. I leaned into vulnerability and fully acknowledged the reality that the path forward was one that I had minimal experience with on my own.

I was reminded of the powerful words of the famous economics professor Minouche Shafik, “In the past, jobs were about muscles, now they’re about brains, but in the future they’ll be about the heart.”

The recent uprising, combined with COVID-19 as well as the collective impact that the shelter in place orders have had on people all across the planet are tangible reminders that we will never return to our old normal.

Perhaps even more important than that, the future that Shafik referred to is now here and whenever we fully establish our "new" normal it will be much different than anything we have ever experienced.

For years, like many people who lead households, families, school systems, sports teams, organizations, companies, departments and many more, I haven’t been courageous enough to embrace the power that comes with authentically being vulnerable about my emotions, real lived experiences and how they inform how I lead those whom I have been charged to serve.

Dora Kamau captures this dilemma best specifically when she said, “Picture this…giving a friend or a loved one a gift...for their birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or just because. You put so much intention and thought into getting them this special gift. Months later you see them again and realize that they haven’t opened the gift. The gift is sitting in their home on the shelf collecting dust waiting to be opened. “

This is what we have all been guilty of doing with the unique gift that we have each been given with respect to vulnerability and leadership.

Like Brene’ Brown in her New York Times and Wall Street Journal best selling book Dare to Lead, I define a leader as “anyone who takes responsibility for finding potential in people.”

Vulnerability is described as “the emotion that we experience during times of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure.”

As I analyzed Brene’ Brown’s work with shame and vulnerability along with my research regarding emotional intelligence, generations and high quality standards, I stumbled into a term that I refer to as revolutionary leadership. This type of leadership is the radical act of embracing vulnerability as the framework for growth. It is a hybrid approach to success rooted in the notion of preserving the best parts of our current leadership practices, and combining them with the dedicated effort to address the areas of unfinished learning that have been neglected for years.

Let me be clear, now is the time for leaders to start viewing our actions, behaviors, thoughts and emotions on a continuum grounded in balance. Balance is the place and space that enables us to holistically serve those we have been charged to lead so that we can inspire them to share parts of themselves that no generation has. I believe the results that the organizations will experience will be well worth the investment, as things like accountability will not only be a responsibility of the people at the top but they will become a commitment of the people all around the organization. I am not arguing that every leader needs to throw down everything that they have acquired over the course of their lives. Similarly, I am not saying that there are not benefits to servant, transformational, adaptive or even authoritarian leadership. I am saying that leaders can no longer afford to center the way we view forward movement in our organizations based solely on aspects of the past. Instead, we must wholeheartedly invest in understanding that vulnerability is the x-factor to the next wave of effective leadership.

It isn’t the foundation to the puzzle but it absolutely is the missing puzzle piece that will unlock a majestic world that many of us never knew existed.

For example, I would consider myself to be a natural “adaptive” leader as I have served as a school leader for more than 10 years in various districts. This means that I have been the strict and accountable leader, the leader who instituted radical hiring changes at all costs and more recently I have become the leader who truly values authentic relationships with everyone. As will be the case with each of you, in order to become a revolutionary leader I didn’t give up my adaptive leadership style. I simply addressed areas like service, equity, empowerment and vulnerability.

As I became more secure with my areas of unfinished learning, I became more comfortable discussing them, putting myself around people to balance me out and developing my capacity in areas that were needed in order to improve competency in my job.

What does this mean for effective leadership as we prepare for the "new" normal?

Whether you are a new leader trying to effectively lead an athletic department in a time with extreme social distancing regulations, a doctor who has had to assess and diagnose patients at a rate higher than most civilians can imagine or a judge who has to find objectivity in cases that expose the fabric of your implicit bias, you have to lean into the power of vulnerability. No one living has ever had to deal with a pandemic and civil unrest at the same time.

The most appropriate way to lead especially during these times is through deep knowledge about one’s self as well as experiences and combine that with authentic commitment to others. It doesn’t matter which leadership style one has but it is important to remember that the purest parts of every person’s approach to leadership will invariably need balance in order to effectively lead the organization and group of people to success. We must start to become comfortable with embracing and personifying humility to our teams.

There is no balance without the presence of vulnerability to lead the way. It’s the light that illuminates a clear path in a dark cave.

Revolutionary leaders don’t use their knowledge about vulnerability as a strategy. They accept and embrace their experiences as a vehicle to relate and connect to others. They understand that leadership is more about care for one’s teammates than authority over them. Of course, the leader has a responsibility to build capacity but not without first understanding the purest parts of everyone on the team. This creates intangibles like security, safety, loyalty and empowerment. When people are not afraid to be themselves, you can really help develop their capacity. They are not trying to assess your motives and you are not trying to assess their commitment. You both understand and accept each other’s truths and can invest in the necessary common ground to complete tasks at a high level. You have to empower your teammates to be who they truly are and you have to lead from a place that reflects the best parts of what you’ve experienced.

When considering everything that is going on in the world, it is clear that we must become the first generation known for healing and breaking unhealthy cycles. We have nothing to lose but our chains. This is our time to get off of the sidelines, to wake up and rise to an unprecedented occasion. In the words of Justin Michael Williams, “We, all of us…together, are the revolution.” Let's go Vulnerability Village!