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Vulnerability is your greatest strength


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With Brené Brown on her Dare to Lead course

Kim Potgieter

Kim Potgieter

April 24, 2019
Attending Brené Browns’ Dare to Lead course in San Antonio, Texas, was one of the five fabulous things I planned as part of my 50th year celebrations. Still technically in my 50th year, I am proud to say that I finally ticked off this item on my Bucket Wheel®. To tell you the truth, I may have just added Brené Brown on my Bucket Wheel® again!

Meeting Brené was even more fabulous than what I expected it to be! Combined with meeting my long-time, far-distance mentor and guide, I got to learn and travel as well – two hugely important parts of my life!

Arriving at the Dare to Lead course filled me with extreme excitement and anticipation. I had been looking forward to this moment for what seems like forever! We were 120 attendees in total, all sharing the same level of enthusiasm and awe and, without fail, every single one of the delegates agreed that the week’s experience and learning far overreached the initial expectation.

Here I am on Brene’s course with two other South Africans, Nadine Mayers and Julia Kerr Henkel.

Looking back as we filed out of the training room for the last time, I can still sense the enthusiasm and energy of all the newly Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitators, eager to return home and share their learnings.

Being vulnerable

I found Brené’s work on vulnerability most insightful and have realised that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. I have learnt that it is impossible to predict or control the outcome of any given situation – something that has always frightened me. It’s a scary thought knowing that you are not always completely in control.

Brené provides wonderful exercises to help you explore feeling comfortable in vulnerability, which will ultimately make you a good leader.

Bravely riding around Texas on a Vespa – I thought I booked a walking tour, not a Vespa tour!

“Vulnerability is the willingness to show up when we can’t control the outcome,” says Brené Brown. Vulnerability is an act of courage because you show up in a situation as your authentic self, instead of veiling behind a pretence of what you think the world wants you to be. Being who you are, even if you don’t have all the answers, even if you have to admit to making mistakes, takes courage. But it is here where the greatest potential lies. It is here, in this open and honest space that you can truly learn from yourself and from others.

Progress and innovation does not come from a place of comfort.

We need to embrace our lives bravely and be all that we are meant to be.  It takes courage to risk failure, to try something new, to choose a new path, but it is better to try and embrace the experience wholeheartedly than to walk away in fear and miss out on what could have been a great life adventure or a powerful message.

Brené’s message has further inspired me to show up and share my work on the relationship we have with money with the world. My guiding principle, my core value, is to share what I know, to communicate my learnings so that I can help people heal their relationship with money to ultimately get to a place where money serves them, instead of the other way around.

Date to diarise

On Tuesday, 28 May 2019, I will be sharing some insights of the Dare to Lead programme at a breakfast event in Johannesburg. If you would like to be added to the invitation list, please email me at Kim@charteredwealth.co.za and I will be sure to include you.

Listening to your critics

Brené has taught me to accept feedback from those who care, from those who truly matter and have a vested interest in the successful sharing of my message. She cautions taking feedback from those who sit on the side-lines and criticise because they can, who judge without thinking or knowing. She calls this the cheap seats.

So, I give myself permission to worry less about the side-line critics and to learn and grow from the feedback of those who have earned the right to give it.

In conclusion

The best news is that courage can be taught; we all have the capacity to learn how to be courageous. I look forward to becoming more courageous and supporting others to do the same.

I wish you all a brave journey, and the capacity to show up and be seen!

Best wishes,

Kim

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