Progress is focusing on what you don’t know
Culturally, it is often considered a negative attribute to be vulnerable. However, I would argue that a degree of vulnerability is an important ingredient for running a successful business.
Achieving something new is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone; remain within it and you will only be iterating what you already know. This tends to happen to more established companies who have emerged from the uncertainties of their early growth and want to implement a more calm and consistent approach. At face value, it seems there’s nothing wrong with this, but accepting that there are still things to learn and uncharted territory ahead is what keeps organisations fresh and proactive.
A limiting mindset – Learning over
‘We cannot solve problems with the same thinking we used to create them’ – Albert Einstein
To clarify, I do not advise you make your business vulnerable. Don’t abandon your standard procedures and leave it at the mercy of outside influences. Instead, I’m advocating adopting vulnerability as part of your company mindset.
Learning is all about accepting you don’t know things. You may be an expert in your field, but new developments will be happening all the time. To keep abreast of these it’s important you accept that there will be gaps in your knowledge and aspects of your skillset that should improve. This notion of vulnerability is what makes learning possible and those who are fine with this tend to be far more receptive.
The challenges your business faces, may well be created internally, meaning you don’t possess the objectivity to find the solution. A greater familiarity with your limits can allow you to function outside your comfort zone more regularly. It is impossible to find answers when you don’t ask the questions.
A missing element – Employee bravery
Being brave is knowing you are vulnerable but taking the chance anyway.
Making mistakes is natural, if employees understand this, they will have the freedom to express themselves and potentially devise something original and valuable. By instilling this into a workforce, an oppressive weight will be lifted from their shoulders. Give people a gameplan to work by, but give them to space to excel.
Imagine all the time that could be saved if people acknowledged the holes in their knowledge, rather than persisting and producing suboptimal results. Far better to train them to fill these gaps in their expertise than keeping quiet and carrying on.
Utilise the diverse skillsets around you; build a team of competent people, with varied interests and experience. Having this community of intelligent, creative staff, means your company should be more capable of navigating the complications and seizing the opportunities that appear.
A different perspective – Vulnerable leaders
A key part of my teachings as a coach is encouraging my clients to surrender some of their existing responsibilities. It’s a misconception that leaders should assume more and more tasks. Overseeing activities is very different to spreading yourself too thinly; consequently, neglecting your key strengths.
Leaders must be vulnerable enough to know they can’t be the go-to guy for everything. Additionally, they may have to admit that not all solutions can be found as planned, accepting that a pragmatic approach might suit the situation better. This attitude can take you back to your entrepreneurial roots, where you tackled whatever transpired and found inventive solutions.
It might seem counterintuitive, but knowing your limits, can be reassuring and freeing, if fully embraced. Vulnerability is openness and all business leaders mut be open to new ideas; the alternatives are paralysis and procrastination. Which will you pick?