How to be vulnerable at work without spilling everything, from Brené Brown

Many workplaces encourage their employees to be vulnerable and authentic as it can bring people closer and make teams stronger.

But doing so can also backfire. Many people fear to be vulnerable at the wrong time or with the wrong person. It may make them seem incompetent if they’re in a more performance-oriented culture at work.

Just because vulnerability helps to build trust doesn’t mean you should share everything with everybody. The key to vulnerability is in establishing boundaries.

We share our emotions and experiences to move our work, connection or relationship forward. Therefore we have to examine our intention around sharing, question who we’re sharing with, and whether it’s the right thing.