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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Daring to be Vulnerable

I was recently leading a session on cross-cultural leadership with 25 mission agency staff from Brazil. As I spoke about the potential pitfalls and methods of preventing cultural mistakes, the chairman of the board whispered me a question, “Can I share with the group the email that you sent the board earlier this year?

I stopped, and quickly considered it. I had sent an email a while back carefully explaining our consulting requirements. It turned out that people reading my email completely misunderstood my intentions. So I agreed (slightly reluctantly). To my surprise the chairman had a copy of my email with him and proceeded to read it out, but without mentioning any names. The entire group howled with laughter that a mission leader could have sent such an email.

After the laughter died down I dared to admit out loud, “I was the one that sent the email.”

Stunned silence. I continued facilitating. From that moment on our discussions got deeper and more open.

I thought about this afterwards. Why had I dared to be vulnerable? I realized that it was only because we had worked together before, and we trusted each other. What difference had it made? I realized that after the “confession” the trust level deepened and our discussions also deepened. Research backs up both observations:

  • Vulnerability and transparency are stronger when trust already exists.
  • Vulnerability and transparency can deepen trust.

But … what about when there is no trust, either because something has occurred to break trust, or where there is no history to establish trust?

  • Are we willing to be vulnerable, to be transparent in those situations?
  • What stories can we share with others that allow us to be vulnerable, that can create that first spark of trust?

Pause and Reflect:

Sometimes vulnerability is equated with weakness (1 Cor. 8:9) or unsteadiness of faith (2 Pet. 2:14), whereas Clinton uses the meaning of being open and susceptible to emotional attack or harm. There is great risk to a leader when applying this skill without wisdom and care.

Have you ever used vulnerability to open a line of communication? What happened? Did greater trust ensue?

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Clinton Dix
Clinton Dix
Clinton Dix and his wife, Diane, have served with Wycliffe Bible Translators for almost 30 years in the US, Canada, Brazil, and in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. They have three grown children and one daughter-in-law. Clinton’s passion is training and mentoring mission and church leaders. He currently serves as an organizational development consultant to faith-based non-profits (missionary organizations involved in Bible translation) throughout Latin America and a select few countries around the world. He earned a doctorate in organizational leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University, and an MBA from the University of South Carolina. He and his wife have lived in Heath Springs, in Lancaster County, SC since 2012.

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