Just be human
The first time I saw this larger than life leader, he was speaking to a large audience of battle-hardened, skeptical leaders.
And he cried.
His emotions were heartfelt and honest; they weren’t intended to manipulate. Something touched him as he told his story, and it also touched me. I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t alone; you could have heard a pin drop in the audience. As I looked around, I found that others were riveted and similarly moved by the story he told.
Somehow, in some small way, we all felt connected by his simple act of being who he was.
We’ve also seen President Obama cry on a couple of recent occasions. It was hard to watch in some ways, but he was feeling what many of us were feeling at those moments. This is a man who is normally pretty contained. Yet in a world of divisiveness, he parted a curtain of hate with his tears and helped us to see that we are indeed all alike in some very basic and human ways.
Neither of these leaders (significantly, both are very strong men with histories of success through perseverance) apologized for their outward show of emotion. Neither did they draw attention to it. They simply showed what they felt and what others may also be feeling in the moment.
They joined us in our humanity.
Emotions have a funny way of doing that. Emotions are invisible hands that reach out in joy and crisis to make us stronger than we can possibly be on our own.
Emotions help us to achieve more in community. They help us to grieve and feel joy. They are the connecting force that allows us to set aside any differences we might have and to come to understanding, unity, and love.
Don’t be ashamed to show what you are feeling. If it’s genuine then let us see it. You’ll bring us together, help us to see what we have in common and part the curtain of our humanity. When that happens, it’s possible that we’ll see each other in a new light and be able to set aside our differences to achieve more than anyone thought was possible.
Just be who you are by showing the emotion you feel.
Continue reading here: The Coaching Mindset
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