Embracing vulnerability, rather than shying away from it, is key to personal growth and innovation.
As engineers, we often feel pressure to appear experts with all the answers. But the reality is that engineering is a vulnerable process filled with failures, unknowns, and imperfections.
When we admit "I don't know" instead of pretending to know-it-all, it shows honesty and creates psychological safety for people around you to collaborate. It signals that it's okay to ask questions, seek help, admit mistakes, and risk failure - things that allow us to learn and improve - things that make us human.
Adopting a growth mindset requires vulnerability. Having a passion for learning and resilience starts with acknowledging what we don't yet understand. By framing knowledge gaps as opportunities rather than shortcomings, we open ourselves to gaining new skills.
The best ideas emerge through vulnerable iteration, where we build upon initial imperfect solutions through honest feedback and open collaboration. Just as a snowball alone doesn't make a snowman, raw ideas need additional perspectives and refinement to reach their full potential.
In one of the best TED talk ever recorded - The power of vulnerability -, Brené Brown explains that vulnerability is our "most accurate measurement of courage".
And yes! It takes courage to:
💬 Admit when we don't know
✋ Ask for help
💡 Seek input to enhance ideas
🙊 Share failures and struggles
🤝 Embrace feedback
While striving for expertise is important, we must resist the urge to fake perfection. True expertise comes from the passion and perseverance of lifelong learners willing to be vulnerable.
The best engineers don't pretend to have all the answers – they openly admit their imperfections and see them as opportunities for growth.
So, talk about your failures without apologizing. They are your most important asset!
- Adrian