Over the past few months, I’ve been part of a program studying the craft of public speaking. It’s been energizing, humbling, and honestly…a little nerve-wracking. But mostly, it reminded me how much I love being a student again.
One of our incredible instructors was Russell Ewing. I learned so much watching him and the other coaches on stage, but it was this article he wrote, “The Vulnerability Advantage,” that has stuck with me.
It got me thinking about something I’ve been saying to leaders for years: If you want to build trust with your team…Be real. Be human. Be vulnerable.
But now, sitting on the other side, as someone getting that advice as a speaker, I realized something else:
Sometimes the call to “be vulnerable” feels like just one more thing to get right. Am I being vulnerable enough? Am I doing it the right way?
Ewing flips the script: “When you truly understand that your purpose is to selflessly serve your audience, it aligns your focus—both intellectually and emotionally—and shifts it towards them.”
In other words: it’s not about you.
As a speaker, your job is to make the audience feel something—curiosity, inspiration, a sense of possibility. When you’re focused on them, there’s less room left to stress about how you’re coming across.
Leadership is no different. Great human leaders make their employees feel something—less overwhelmed, more empowered, and excited about what’s ahead.
And when you shift your focus from self to service and from how you’re being perceived to how you’re helping others grow, you stop performing like a leader and start truly leading.
6/17/25
