When you’re leading your team, your first instinct may be to try to come across as a strong, confident leader.
These people look up to you, right??
So, you put your “I’ve got it ALL together ALL the time” mask on, and you keep your struggles and worries close to your chest where no one can see them.
Because leaders cannot be weak, right?!!
However, this is actually slowing down the growth of your business.
If you’re going through this and feeling as if you’re holding back on being your true self (flaws & all) with your team…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
TAKE OFF YOUR MASK! It’s creating a GIANT blind spot in your business.
Most of you get the feeling that if you’re REAL and HONEST with your team about the failures and challenges you face, that they will view you as ‘less of a leader.’
You feel like you have to be this superhero version of yourself in order to have people like, accept, and want to follow you.
But, I have two words for you:
Limiting Belief.
“Credibility isn't perfection, but instead it's a willingness to admit IMPERFECTION.”
Here’s the big issue with that mask you’re wearing.
While you’re creating this perfect version of yourself, your team is watching you and NOT relating to you….at all.
And even worse, they’re likely not TRULY trusting you.
People won’t truly trust you unless they can see their own flaws, weaknesses, and themselves in you.
If you’re leading from behind your superhero perfection mask, acting like nothing ever bothers you and things are sunshine and rainbows every second of the day, you’re NOT leading as your true self.
You’re leading as a leadership robot (we’ve all seen the movies – you DON’T trust the robots).
Your perfection mask is covering up the real YOU and it’s preventing your team from relating to you.
And whether your team realizes it or not, they don’t fully trust you as their leader.
Trust is built when someone can SEE THEMSELVES in you and see that you have and still continue to struggle with the same things as they do.
Being vulnerable with your team is not just a ‘good idea’ or a ‘smart strategy,’ it is REQUIRED if you want to truly connect with your team.
I struggled with vulnerability for a VERY long time.
I was afraid to be open and honest with people on my team because I didn’t want them to think that I wasn’t strong enough to lead them. I thought that in order for people to have confidence in me as a leader, I had to make them think that I ‘had it all together.’
I hid behind my own mask for a very long time – feeling like a total imposter in my role of leadership.
I felt like I was hiding a MAJOR portion of who I was from them, and it was honestly exhausting.
I was trying to make myself look and feel credible by presenting myself as a strong and confident leader. But I started feeling disconnected not only from my team, but from myself.
Then I had a major breakthrough and realized:
Credibility isn’t perfection, but instead it’s a willingness to admit IMPERFECTION.
Your team doesn’t want or need you to be perfectly put together every minute of the day.
People want to be around and follow people they know are LIKE THEM and understand what they’re going through in life.
It takes tremendous courage to really put yourself out there and acknowledge your flaws.
Not everyone has the guts to take off their mask and show their true selves to their team.
And that’s a BIG reason why not everyone (in fact, most people) don’t succeed in network marketing.
I recently released a podcast episode about this exact topic, and I received a handful of listeners along the lines of:
“I try to be open about my struggles, but I am afraid that I will come across as negative.”
Being vulnerable is NOT the same thing as complaining or being negative.
The key difference is you showing your team HOW you’re dealing with your struggles and overcoming your obstacles. You show your vulnerability by focusing on the ‘lessons-learned’ point of view.
It’s a challenge that you overcame, not a list of complaints.
You are leading them by demonstrating how to deal with tough circumstances and issues. They NEED to see that you also have struggles and that you are NOT going to let those struggles get in your way.
Share with your team about the person you needed to BECOME in order to get through that challenge.
Or, if it’s a current challenge, about how you’re focused on getting through it and not letting it hold you back. Share how you want to work through these issues together.
If you’re not already in the habit of being vulnerable and sharing your issues, it might feel really awkward in the beginning.
It may even (and probably will) feel downright uncomfortable.
THAT IS THE POINT!!!
We’re talking about showing off your vulnerability, for crying out loud!!
As with most new habits, you need to practice. It’s a muscle you need to strengthen.
Once you start to open up more with your team, the walls will start to come down and you will feel more connected and aligned than ever.
Get uncomfortable, and over time your relationship with your team will be stronger than ever.
