The Veneer of Vulnerability

Image by Ivanov Velizar on Unsplash

Image by Ivanov Velizar on Unsplash

What role are you living into? What ‘suit of clothes’ do wear to attend to work? Recent conversations catch me again reflecting how we live in a world of perception, masks and roles, and sometimes in that living we can lose connection with a part or parts of ourselves.

It’s easy to become wrapped up in the how of the ‘professional’ we believe we are supposed to be; we forget that behind it is a human with longing, yearning, vulnerabilities and frailties.

We know about the leadership books, the full to the brim self-help sections all designed to feed this search for Nirvana. The ‘how to’ of the roles that we each play; many of which can’t deliver because the book is only half of the solution.

I ask that I will never not be humbled at what is revealed when the veneer of the job title, the status is pulled aside. I observe with (self-)compassion and recognition that beneath all of this is a vulnerable, shaky human, just like me, full of longing, yearning, vulnerability and frailty.

Yes we can codify any one of the domains in which we need competence, the technical inputs, even relationship and people skills are codified, but when we strip it all back, it’s just one vulnerable being with another. The world is full of us.

Have you had a reminder lately?