At the beginning of the year, we often talk about the need to be more open. Openness is, in fact, vulnerability and it is important for me to emphasize that vulnerability is not weakness.
To be vulnerable means to be open and exposed, with the awareness that you may be hurt, criticized, or misunderstood, yet without hiding behind a mask.
Vulnerability is present in all relationships – both professional and personal. Every relationship that involves collaboration, trust, or closeness carries a certain level of exposure. We don’t become vulnerable only when we consciously show it. We are already vulnerable the moment we enter a relationship.
There is, however, another side of vulnerability – its misuse. Unfortunately, this is something I could write about at length, because it is very much present.
In personal relationships, the consequences are often deeper, because there are no roles or titles – only people. When someone opens up, they unconsciously place what is most sensitive into another person’s hands: their fears, wounds, and needs. Instead of understanding, they may encounter ridicule. Instead of closeness, minimization. And sometimes that very openness is later used in conflict as a way to hurt. Some people listen not to understand, but to hurt later. I believe this is a familiar experience for many of you.
A similar dynamic exists in professional relationships as well. This is why people withdraw, choose caution, and keep their distance. They don’t speak about insecurity, dilemmas, or mistakes, not because they have nothing to offer, but because they fear their openness will be misinterpreted or used against them.
It is important to make a clear distinction here.
The problem is not the vulnerability of the person who opens up, but the inability of the other person to receive that openness with respect – often because they themselves lack the capacity or are not in touch with their own vulnerability.
From a somatic perspective, vulnerability does not mean a loss of stability. On the contrary, it requires inner regulation, presence, and clear boundaries. Mature vulnerability does not mean revealing everything to everyone. It means consciously choosing the truth we can hold and that the other person has the capacity to receive.
Remember: vulnerability is not weakness. It is the foundation of trust, authentic collaboration, and mature leadership but only where responsibility, boundaries, and mutual respect exist.
