Embracing Vulnerability
When I first started my dance studio, I thought that as the leader I had to know it all. I thought I was the one that had to have all the answers and give off the impression that I had it together at all times.
How wrong I was.
What I've learned about leadership in the dance studio is the strength and respect that comes from just being yourself; and I mean your crazy, weird, not-knowing-everything, unsure and, at times, really-scared self.
Brave leadership is about understanding the areas in which you are really strong, the areas you need help, and the areas you need to upskill. I'm a great Ballet teacher, I smash a Musical Theatre class, but when it comes to tap, I'm mediocre. But that's ok, hiring people who are great tap teachers is not a threat to my ability, it's the sign of good leadership. Brave leadership is about being confident enough in your own self worth to hire people who are better than you without feeling threatened, and being willing to ask for people's input and allowing them to take the limelight when they come up with great ideas.
It is okay to say:
* I don't have the answer.
* I’m having a hard time making this decision.
Nothing has proved this more so than the global pandemic where we've all been put in situations as leaders where we haven't known what is going to happen tomorrow. I’ve tried to embrace my vulnerability during this time and stay true to how I’ve been feeling in the moment.
We won't always get it right and that's okay.
Part of that vulnerability is being able to admit when you're wrong, step up, have accountability for those moments and be able to say, “I made a mistake, I didn't do this very well, these are the things I will work to improve on”.
I encourage you, as a leader, to think about Brave leadership and how it can show up by you and your team in your dance studio. And if you enjoyed this post, I have other articles on The Value of Communication, Giving and Receiving Feedback, and Embracing Vulnerability on my blog at simplystaceymorgan.com. I encourage you to consider how you can bring these learnings into your dance studio to make yourself the best leader possible for your team.
