"Do I look old in this picture?..."
Mar 22, 2024Check out the full version of the podcast with United Charitable
Click the link here: Most People Don’t | A Conversation with Bart Berkey (youtube.com)
A few weeks ago I presented at a conference in which a supplier had graciously donated their resources to provide professional headshots for attendees. My client insisted that I participate if I needed a new one. Certainly.
When I first received the final copy, I was hesitant to share it with anyone because I thought I looked too old. Maybe it was the lighting. Or the angle? Or my gray beard? “This really doesn’t look like me does it?”
Maybe, just maybe, I look the way I do because this weekend I’m turning 57. (Let’s see who catches an easter egg about my birthday).
After consideration, it really doesn’t matter. It’s a lovely, clear, updated photo of who I am today. I stopped dying my beard years ago when the result looked like I had eaten a purple stained popsicle. This is me and I’m cool with it. Vulnerable- “susceptible to emotional attack or harm.”
Last night I presented to a group of Penn State Alumni Group Presidents for the School of Health and Human Development. We shared stories and discussed the ever increasing need for GREAT LEADERSHIP. The conversation led to the importance of VULNERABILITY as a STRENGTH for leadership.
- Leaders don’t need to pretend to know all of the answers
- Leaders can admit when they are feeling uncertain
- Leaders don’t need to be perfect, they just need to be real
- Leaders should communicate what they know and not hide behind what they don’t know
During my career, there were a few leaders who had the “same” personality whether they were leading hundreds or talking to their kids. Different messages but the same person. They did not need to put on a show, namely because they were so secure in themselves, that there was no need for proving anything to anyone.
These days, everyone is busy. Many organizations are under-staffed, while employees today are looking for MORE INTERACTIONS with their leaders, not less.
They want to know HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE and DEVELOP THEMSELVES FURTHER, and they need direction.
The more we as leaders can be VULNERABLE, our team can connect with us on MORE AUTHENTIC LEVELS. For the benefit and good of all involved.
One last dose of vulnerability. An educator drew images of me recently and shared that this is how he remembers. He captures a few images, the position of me as the speaker, and a line or two to jog his memory of the story or motivational message. While personally, I think the drawings may be more representative of my dad when he was 82, I am sharing them. The meaning from this attendee was less about the imagery or the artistic talent, and more about the compliment from him as a participant to me for sharing good thoughts.
