The new paradigm of leadership has presence and vulnerability at the core.
One of my favourite TED talks of all time is this one from Amy Cuddy.
I recalled this as I was going to write about the power of self-awareness of the body, hormonal responses (testosterone, cortisol) and the power of the body for presence.
Yes, this talk is amazing for that, so please do watch it all from the link in the image above.
That said, I won’t be writing about all of that today. Instead, as I watched the talk again in preparation for writing this, once again by far the most powerful part of the talk was when Amy Cuddy told us WHY this was so important to her. Every single time I watch this segment of the talk, I am moved to tears. Every. Single. Time.
Yes, watch the whole talk, but please watch the segment starting at 15:39
I believe strongly that the new paradigm of #OpenLeadership has Vulnerability as a core foundational attribute. As Amy tells her very personal story of feeling like an imposter, she then transforms that experience into leadership, power, creativity.
I share here the first nascent iteration of the #OpenLeadership model. For more, see the series of articles posted to Linked In called Unthinkable.
No longer will leaders serve their people and their vision by seeking to be all knowing, all powerful and invulnerable. To the contrary, knowing our fears, having that self-knowledge, ability to manage our energy (and those of others), being reponse-able rather than reactive in moments of stress and crisis… these and more are attributes of #OpenLeadership… and from these “Let Go” attributes, leaders can then attract their people to them and realise their highest potential through humbly collaborating while being the “keeper of the vision”.
Much more on these themes in future articles, but for now, marvel at the vulnerable presence of Ms Amy Cuddy !