Leading Through Vulnerability

As a union Delegate, the concept of leadership often comes up. You are leading meetings, have to advocate for others, lead by example, and most of all, if you don't do it, it doesn't get done. A workplace doesn't get unionised by itself, and a paid organiser will only do what you tell them to. They won't take charge of the situation and lead by example. Yes they have years of experience, but if the delegates don't demand their attention, they will direct their energy to a company that has delegates which do want to get stuff done. That makes sense when you are pressed for resources and organisers are already overworked, but it does put the onus on the delegates to get stuff done, to "Lead".

So leadership is important, but it's also a double edged sword. Leadership implies there are leaders and followers. One quickly imagines a hierarchy much like a company or a feudal system. After all, bosses are leaders, of a sort at least. Your company might even have forgotten the word manager and calls them "leaders" instead. But in the union movement we have to fight against that. Our systems shouldn't use the same hierarchies as the companies we are trying to put in their place. It's easy to imagine the rough-looking masculine union rep who antagonises the company at every turn. He knows how the power works, and how to use his own power. But that's the kind of power that reinforces the old hierarchies. The kind of power that alienates women and queer people, it may lead to some wins in a world where the workforce is mostly cis straight men, but in today's workplace, we need to approach power differently

If people look to you to speak for them, it is often tempting to use that old kind of leadership, the one where you steamroll over your "opponent", but I don't want to be that kind of delegate, power isn't that clear-cut and there is different sources of power. Drawing from Queer struggles it is clear. Power and influence comes from being unashamed. It comes from being brutally, shamelessly and utterly yourself, and not changing that for anybody. Putting yourself out there and refusing to go back to hiding your true self. From various influential women I also learnt that "Courage cannot exist without vulnerability". The difference between the conventionally masculine interpretation of courage and the courage of the women's and queer movements is their definition of vulnerability. A good union leader would need to combine both kinds of vulnerability, knowing that their collective strength will embolden them to be vulnerable in a safe environment, both physically and emotionally.

The other day I was in a union meeting and I brought up my grandmother who is approaching the end of her life. I wasn't hoping to gain sympathy, as I was supporting a member to get a good outcome for my case, but ultimately that decision was the driving factor behind getting a good outcome for my member. It didn't come down to hard power and yelling at my member's manager, as that would only have made it worse, but it showed courage, and solidarity with my member, which is ultimately what any company is most afraid of. Even though the union I work for doesn't have the strongest numbers, the solidarity we show, not in our numbers, but in our vulnerability, in our actions, is what will ultimately help us grow.

Next time you are in a situation like mine, don't be afraid, companies thrive on that. Take that first step in being vulnerable. Show others that it's safe to do so.