A human brand and my vulnerability journey

Vulnerability is a hot topic these days. I’m seeing this connection between vulnerability and leadership in all types of business literature and posts.

So it’s not surprising that in conversations about creating a more human brand, vulnerability is often a primary topic of discussion. The other day, a person I was helping on a coaching call mentioned that he appreciated how vulnerable and empathetic I seemed.

You may be surprised that vulnerability was definitely a learned trait for me. I am not an open person by nature, let alone a vulnerable one. I thought this might be an interesting subject to cover since I believe that some measure of vulnerability is essential in business and leadership today, especially in this prolonged period of pandemic suffering and crisis.

Can vulnerability be learned? Yes.

Here is my journey.

Big boys don’t cry

I grew up in a stoic family. None of my parents or grandparents showed much emotion and “big boys don’t cry” was a central idea of manhood in our family culture.

Even as an adult, if I was ever in a situation where I thought I would be emotional, I would get nauseous from holding the tears in. I would have to leave the room if I felt any strong emotions coming on. When I…