Can We Show Vulnerability in the Workplace?

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

In her famous TED talk from 2010, the renowned researcher and storyteller Brené Brown talked about the importance of vulnerability in building meaningful connections. The talk has been viewed over 14 million times on YouTube. If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend it.

But let’s look at the official definition of the V word, according to Oxford Dictionary:

Vulnerability is the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

The word that sticks out to me is “exposed” — leaving yourself truly open to in showing a part of yourself that might you fear might not be well received. Brown says:

Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.

Ordinarily, I perceive the words ‘courage’ and ‘vulnerability’ as dichotomous. When you’re vulnerable you’re in a position of weakness rather than strength. But that’s ultimately the idea; to present your position authentically, without any guarantee of results.

In my last post, I talked about Anandibai Joshi, the trail-blazing young woman who defied all odds to become India’s first female doctor. She spoke to a crowd of people, declaring her reasons for…