Looking back at when I have done by best work – that is, the work that changed people or organizations, I realize that it is always linked to situations where I exposed myself. And the more I exposed myself, the more effective the result was.
When I was younger I thought you could change the world by the mere power of ideas and intellectual research. That is not the case – or at least it is a very slow way of changing things. Change happens much more effectively through direct intervention – and exposure.
Exposure is tough. It involves overcoming the inevitable feeling of vulnerability. But be it giving a speech on stage, standing up facilitating, giving tough one-to-one feedback, change happens best when the occasion is at the brink of a crisis. When I feel that I am crossing the yellow line just so slightly by not staying in that nice cozy world of unsaid issued. Saying up and loud something people don’t want to hear, showing inadequacies, and at the same time showing the way to change is the most effective way to create change the world needs.
It’s tough to expose oneself. It involves risk. It is emotionally draining. That’s the only way to be an agent of change. Expose yourself!
