The Hidden Secret Behind Vulnerability

Hi there!This past weekend, I completed a coaching course 4 out of 5 by Coaches Training Institute coaching and leadership program. Shortly after I finish session 5, I am off to certification to become a CPCC! Let me say; the world is in desperate need of the work I am doing. Hands down. No ifs and or butts about it. If you want to know more about my leadership coaching style, we should talk!So far, I finished 100 hours of official coaching training, and it couldn't be more rewarding to me. Not only is this work helping me become an excellent coach, but it is also deepening my understanding of who I am as a leader and what's getting in my way.I wanted to point out something that has been consistent throughout each of these courses in a room full of about 25 people. Through this work, we SEE each other. I mean REALLY SEE each other. We are mainly practicing coaching methodologies, tools, and skills on each other and through this, we listen to deep topics with one another. Three days of opening up and exposing yourself to a room full of strangers isn't something I thought I would ever be comfortable doing. However, this experience for me has been so liberating because it's getting to the point where I'd rather be here than anywhere else. I heard about people's dreams, the pain they have experienced, what they want for themselves and the world. I listened to people's life purpose. It was magical. It is a place where we can just be ourselves and not feel the need to hold back. A place where acceptance is available for everything you are, flaws and all. A place where there is no judgment. A place where people listen to you. A place where you are not afraid of what people think of you. A place where you can feel safe and say how you feel. A place where you can be and stop lying to yourself of how you feel. A place where you can be authentic and not worry about consequence (no hidden agenda). There is no discipline, no right or wrong. A place where you feel free. A place where you belong. Humanity at its finest. The truth? Humanity is more and more disconnected as we evolve into the future. I fear that if we continue on the path of disconnected, we might not survive.This weekend I had the honour of seeing people for who they are. Every one of them was beautiful, inspirational, intelligent, compassionate, kind, exciting and above all, a ton of awesome. I dream of a world where this is possible outside the classroom and into our lives. A world where you can feel heard and seen in your jobs and with your friends and family and close relationships. The vulnerability you show is not only power, but it is also influential. It draws people closer to you without even trying. Vulnerability is not proving, trying too hard, or fake. It is real, and people are afraid of it because of what other's may think or what we've experienced in the past. We have forgotten how to be unapologetically ourselves.As a child, I never knew what vulnerability meant because it wasn't a word I heard very often or even encouraged as a good thing. This type of exposure indicated weakness, and I always felt that I couldn't be myself because it is not professional or appropriate. I say F%#& that. That's not a world where I see myself thriving. I've been down that road too many times whether in a job or with a new group of people and vulnerability is seen as a weakness and inappropriate. People frown on it. It slowly killed my soul on the daily, and I never felt like I fit in even though I tried very hard to prove myself that I did. What an awful way to live!My vision is for people to feel how I felt this weekend the majority of the time. Not just at a three-day course but ALL the time. I work with organizations who understand the importance of their people and who choose to invest in their development. Organizations who want their teams to feel like they belong. I create leaders who are authentic, vulnerable and genuine who get results. I also coach people become the leaders they want to be in their lives and at work. If you want to chat how I can help you or someone you know, feel free to email me at sonia@soniagrossi.comUntil next time, Sonia