One of the things the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 taught me is that there is a new vulnerability buzz. Susceptibility and openness brings a new level of transparency that is gaining traction in the arena of relationship marketing.
According to a blog by John Baldoni, Vulnerability Paves the Way for Healing posted by Patricia O’Connell on February 19; Tiger Wood’s attempt at an apology seemed rehearsed and didn’t go far enough to his core to be believable. The following is an excerpt, “Sincere apologies are reflections of an authentic self. As such they must signify more than a realization of wrongdoing–they must demonstrate a commitment to making things right again. Very importantly a person who apologizes must show a degree of vulnerability; he has to show that his wrongdoing has been hurtful to others and therefore hurtful to him.” He further states, “There is another aspect to vulnerability; it has mass appeal.” It is this mass appeal that makes the vulnerability concept popular. Small business and the economy have been hurting and now it is okay to say just how beat up we have been as a society.
Management guru, Patrick Lencioni’s, new release Getting Naked promotes vulnerability for service companies. He encourages companies to follow a model that requires the service provider to be vulnerable—to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness and transparency for the good of the client. After reading the book, I am anxious to give it a try.
Sarbanes Oxley attempts corporate transparency through promotional pieces such as annual reports that expose facts. It now appears trendy to be honest with clients as well as potential investors. For so long, vulnerability may have been linked to weakness. It now is an admission of strength to be able to have the courage to point out our inadequacies and ask for understanding to help grow and fix our businesses and/or our moral shortcomings.
Ponder the following quote by Madeline L’Engle, “When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability… To be alive is to be vulnerable.”
The tools have always been there to draw upon transparent information. It is up to us to seek the truth and have the courage to accurately access the information we receive. Visit publicregister.com and publicregisteronline.com to obtain free annual reports on over 5,500 publicly held companies.
Tags: annual reports, getting naked, patrick lencioni, sarbanes oxley, tiger woods, transparency, vulnerability
