Using Vulnerability to Build Stronger Relationships

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  • Jan 22, 2019

by Jackie Ulasewich 

Many people associate vulnerability with weakness. What they don’t realize is the ability to demonstrate vulnerability is an effective leadership strategy. Keeping a stiff upper lip and a straight face with your team members and patients can cause you to lose good people to others who are brave enough to be vulnerable. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you send very clear messages to those you let in: You don’t have all the answers. You are fallible — just like them. You trust them with your concerns and feelings.

When you’re able to let down your guard with your team members and patients, you form a bond and create loyalty. Whereas a stoic façade can intimidate team members and patients, showing vulnerability will give these people the feeling that they’ve become part of your inner circle and part of the solution.

How to Be Vulnerable

There is a distinction between sharing with the people around you and venting. It is possible to be vulnerable while remaining professional. Below are some strategies for developing vulnerability without oversharing:

  1. Listen, then share. Your patients want to feel that they’re being heard. Whenever you have an opportunity to do so, listen to what your patients say. After you’ve given them time to share, it’s your turn. Let them in on a personal experience that they can identify with. Not only will this show your patients that you understand where they’re coming from, it humanizes you and makes their overall experience with you more positive.
  2. Let others feel like they are part of the solution. This strategy is critical for retaining your team members. You may be the boss of your practice, but your team is there to help. When you have team meetings, show vulnerability by asking for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, be brave enough to say so. When someone offers a solution to a problem, express your gratitude. Just like your patients, your team members want to be heard. Letting them brainstorm with you conveys trust and builds loyalty.
  3. Put yourself in their shoes. Think about what it feels like to be your employee. Think about what it feels like to be a patient. Every day your office is open, others allow themselves to be vulnerable in front of you. The least you can do is return the favor, put them at ease and let them see your authentic self, not just a cold professional in a scary white coat.

Expressing Vulnerability in Your Marketing

Incorporate your authentic self into your marketing. The first step is probably the most obvious: Be yourself. You don’t have to be dry and void of all personality when you’re marketing your practice or even speaking with new and existing patients. New and existing patients are much more likely to relate to you when you’re being yourself and showing your true personality. For that reason, it’s important to show your unique personality in all of your marketing: website, social media posts, emails and ads, whether they’re online or offline. Make sure the tonality of all the text found on your website, social media posts, email and blogs fits the energy you are trying to project in your practice.

Encourage your team members to be themselves and show their true personalities when interacting with patients. Post photos and videos that include you and your team and show yourself interacting with patients as much as possible. Choose photos that highlight or accentuate your personality and the personalities of your staff. If you’re always smiling, laughing and having fun, you don’t want to use photos that show otherwise.

When You’re Vulnerable, You’re Winning

The best business leaders embrace vulnerability. One example is Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. When Starbucks was dangerously close to shutting down, Schultz let his employees in by sharing the grim news about the company and explaining the changes that would need to occur to save them, thus creating the kind of loyalty that now allows his company to thrive. This is just one example of how businesses gain from leaders who show vulnerability. While you may not be the next Schultz, you can create an atmosphere of trust and loyalty by allowing others to see the vulnerable human behind the white coat.

Jackie Ulasewich is co-founder of My Dental Agency, a marketing company specializing in dental practice. To comment on this article, email impact@agd.org.