Toolkit
Leadership
Getting Naked
What
Naked service boils down to the ability of a leader to be vulnerable, to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness, and transparency for the good of their team. Naked leaders confront their team (kindly) with difficult information and perspectives, even if they might not like hearing it. Naked leaders ask potentially dumb questions, and make potentially dumb suggestions, because if those questions or suggestions ultimately help their team, it is worth the potential embarrassment. They also admit their weaknesses and celebrate their mistakes.
Why
Most of us live our lives trying to avoid awkward and painful situations. We manage our self-image as leaders, as strong, above the fray and powerful. Yet, teams today are more interested in leaders who lead with candor, modesty, and transparency than they are in confidence, authority, and perfection. That’s not to say that competence is irrelevant; teams need to know that in our capacity as leaders, we have the knowledge and experience to help them. But once we’ve reached that level, the best way to differentiate ourselves is to be vulnerable with them.
How
Tell the Kind Truth. It requires vulnerability to confront one’s team with difficult messages; particularly when the team won’t want to hear it. Failure of nerve is when you know the right thing to do, but you avoid doing it because it will cost you. This is the “reckless” part of pursuing the team’s best interests, always leaning into the issues regardless of the risk.
Enter Danger. The harder the problem to solve, the more respect your team will give you for taking them on.. Easy problems are ones that teams can take care of themselves. Don’t shy away from big, hairy, audacious goals or tremendously scary problems.
Ask Dumb Questions. When you ask the questions that all other folks are too afraid to ask, you’ve placed your team’s, or your entire organization’s interests first. This requires vulnerability because all the rest of the folks will sit there pretending that they are completely wise.
Make Dumb Suggestions. Do you only make suggestions when you’ve eliminated 100% doubt so that you never risk being embarrassed? Remember that your great idea is what will embed itself in your team’s memory, not the mediocre ones. Opportunities are missed when the only advice you’ll give is that which your 100% certain can never be wrong.
Celebrate Your Mistakes. Being wrong is inevitable, hiding or downplaying those errors is an attempt to avoid embarrassment isn’t helpful. It’s far more helpful to call them out and take responsibility for them.
Take a Bullet for the Team This is about sacrificially taking burdens over for your team in their times of difficulty, dealing with them, then kindly leaning into after you’ve gone above and beyond the scope of work for them.
Get Your Hands Dirty. Vulnerability means that, within the context of your professional life, you will do whatever it is that your team needs. Humility is required to perform as a servant of your client, but it also drives deep levels of trust & loyalty.
Admit your Weaknesses and Limitations. When you’re honest & in touch with what you’re not good at, the admission is freeing and authentic. Besides cultivating vulnerability, being transparent about your weaknesses enables better expectations with your team and primes them for where extra grace will be required.
by Montaia