Have you ever “majored in being right”? When you find yourself controlling conversations with others and pushing your own ideas, then guess what – your major is showing.

Brene’ Brown, in Daring Greatly shares a story of an interview with Christine Day, Lululemon’s CEO. Day explained that she was a very bright, smart executive who “majored in being right.” Her transformation came when she realized that her role was to do less telling and much more asking. Her job was to let her staff come into ideas in a purpose-led way, with her creating the space for other to perform. She moved from a place of “having the best idea or problem solving” to “being the best leader of people.”

The shift that Day described was a shift from controlling to engaging with vulnerability – taking risks and cultivating trust. Her shift was a total power move, even when it sometimes made her feel powerless. And, she has the data to back up the impact that the shift made on the company’s bottom line of results. Lululemon’s stock was up by 300% since 2007.

Brown says you can tell how people engage with vulnerability (professionally or personally) by observing how often and how openly you hear people saying things like

• I don’t know.
• I need help.
• I’d like to give it a shot.
• I disagree – can we talk about it?
• It didn’t work, but I learned a lot.
• Here’s what I need.
• Here’s how I feel.
• What can I do better the next time?
• I’m sorry.
• I’m here for you.
• Let’s move on.
• Thank you.

So, what about you? Your role as a leader is to inspire others to achieve extraordinary results. How are you engaging in your own vulnerability as you engage others to walk with you toward the results you really want?

By Vicky Dearing, PCC