Paula M. Parker: Calm strength, not vulnerability, is a leader's advantage

Leadership vulnerability… big deal.

Have you noticed it, too? LinkedIn is rife with posts barking at leaders, “Be vulnerable!” Influencers and expensive consultants, who perhaps have never run a solvent business, continue the drumbeat, day in, day out.

Did they miss the memo? Leadership vulnerability… big deal.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a time and a place for everything, including vulnerability. And. No. I don’t think it’s OK for a leader to be a cold-hearted tyrant. But on a scale of 1 to 10, emphasis on leadership vulnerability is about 157. It’s a disproportionate response. So, look below at the definition of vulnerability. You decide. To be or not to be, vulnerable.

1. The Latin root of vulnerability., “c. 1600, from Late Latin vulnerabilis ‘wounding,’ from Latin vulnerare ‘to wound, hurt, injure, maim,’ from vulnus (genitive vulneris) ‘wound.’"

This definition implies weakness. Can you lead effectively from that emotional stance? Isn’t mental stamina an essential tenet of leadership?

A wise leader in the trenches knows the when, where, what and why of circumstances that suggest being vulnerable. You must first have the willingness to know your weaknesses. Navigating vulnerabilities requires deep, transformative work.

The process is a practice, daily. It’s typically done in private with a psychiatrist, a trained counselor or experienced coach. A professional provides the tools. But the work is on you, to grow from one state to another for the better for you, the team, the business and the greater good.

Here’s the wrinkle. Vulnerability is not supposed to be a permanent emotional state, because weakness doesn’t support the structure of life. The presumption is to transmute a false belief to become whole. Vulnerability may be a trend. But calm, mature, strength is, and always will be, a leader’s advantage.

2. The Latin root "fort" means “strong.” A “fort” is a “strong” building. It’s protection from danger.

Being mentally strong is an asset, not a liability, in running a business. There are difficult decisions to make, hurdles to scale and problems to solve. Employees are making major financial decisions based upon a sacred trust. You know what you’re doing.

Being mentally strong to lead a company is the territory. During a crisis, leadership can require a spine of steel. Each situation gauges strength and character.

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger’s story demonstrates exactly that. Landing US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320, on the Hudson River off Manhattan after a bird strike was his test. All 155 people aboard survived.

Headlines read, “Miracle on the Hudson.” Maybe providence did intervene. But Sully was the conduit for that miracle. Was his historic landing due to vulnerability? Or was it a result of steadfast cool-headed strength?

Barking aside, leaders, you alone decide when and where vulnerability is appropriate. And you can also be an inspirational role model. No matter what, lead from peace and strength. Because you can’t even depend upon muscle when it’s weak.

Paula M. Parker, of Ashland, is a business adviser. Contact her at www.paulamparker.net.