“Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts, and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy.”
– Rick Warren, in his book, The Purpose Driven Life
What we are able to accomplish ultimately comes down to how closely we can bond with others. Not buying it? Name one thing of significance that happens with only one person involved…
We spend our school years trying to get “book smart.” We spend our young adult years trying to get “street smart.” We spend our careers trying to become invincible.
A while back, I joined my bride in watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. One scene showed a doctor deriding a resident for taking a risk in the operating room – a risk that turned out to be life-saving for the patient. Later, when she was “apologizing” to another of the attending physicians, the point came out that the big-shot, high-powered surgeons “keep the residents around because they keep us fresh.”
With clients, with peers, with bosses or boss’s bosses, it behooves us to remember that we’re not perfect, nor are they. Key is, when we’re able to be vulnerable – and to help them be vulnerable, the intimacy that results breeds authenticity.
In a week that the D2 focuses on being “real,” let’s zero-in on where vulnerability intersects with opportunity to improve. That’s where the magic happens. That’s where difference making occurs.
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