In the latest instalment of the Leading and Learning Webinar series, paratrooper-turned-leadership expert Sean Bacon explores the power of vulnerability and resilience
Leadership calls for a myriad of skills, including both mental toughness and vulnerability, says Sean Bacon, president of Dynamic Shift Consulting Limited.
The former paratrooper is now a leadership expert and says that far from being contradictory, the two characteristics are inextricably linked and essential for leaders to master to be their best.
“I have no problem saying ‘I don’t know’,” he says. “However, I always follow it up with ‘Why don’t you walk me through it?’”
“As a leader, I’m not meant to know everything. If you know your people, you promote their welfare and you use their specialities, which are also their passions, it’s OK to say: ‘Look, I really don’t know. Why don’t you walk me through it?’”
The power of offering such vulnerability to your teams can be enormous, he says.
“All of a sudden, they double down. They’re excited to tell you. They’re excited to teach you and you build this relationship. That’s where the bonds of trust really start to be seeded. Because you’re not omnipotent.
“The problem is, as you go higher as a leader, you become an island and imposter syndrome sets in. And it happens many times through a person’s career - if you haven’t had it, let me be frank, you’re lying.”
Leadership: making the most of your mistakes
He also proposes that there can be enormous value in reframing how you think about your mistakes as a leader.
“You have to look at your failures differently,” he continues. “Until you change your mindset, all that baggage is going to remain exactly that: baggage. And baggage is biases.”
Instead, he advises that you should “take ownership of that baggage, those biases” and engage in “self-analysis to say, ‘Hey, these are my biases based on my experiences, how do I move that off to the side and come at it from a clean perspective?’ That takes a lot of courage.”
In the latest episode of the Leading and Learning webinar, part of the Tes Magazine Leadership Forum, host Paul Spiers also explores leadership styles, the importance of explicit instruction and more.
