Dawn Staley Just Taught a Powerful Lesson on Leadership
Originally published by Michelle Silverthorn for Inc.
On April 7, 2024, Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team won the NCAA women’s championship. At the end of the game, ESPN reporter Holly Rowe interviewed Coach Staley to ask her how she felt. Coach Staley couldn’t respond for a few moments because she was so overwhelmed by the moment. In her tears, you saw the immense pressure she had been under and her immense expectations of herself — another national championship, an undefeated season, redemption from last year’s shocking upset, and the departure of all her starters. In her tears, Coach Staley showcased her vulnerability and in doing so, demonstrated my number-one lesson for authentic leaders–vulnerability shows your courage.
It is never easy for leaders to be vulnerable. But the payoff is extraordinary. The ability to feel seen. To share your truths with your world. And, in turn, to be seen as a leader who exemplifies both strength and humility. When we accept and commit to sharing our emotions as leaders, we open doors to creating healthy workspaces that foster team growth and promote trust.
However, there is the flip side. A public that is quick to judge and slow to forget. See, when we fear facing backlash, it can be difficult to express our authenticity. Defensiveness, minimizing, and biases lead us to keep our emotions to ourselves. We know the stereotypes of who cries at work. Or who shouldn’t cry at work. Or who gets angry in public. Those stereotypes often leave many of us without the runway to be vulnerable.