Heart on my sleeve
I was one of those emotional children, who became a very emotional man. There are, of course, many reasons for that, and much of it explained in my book, Heartleader. Sensitive, hyper-sensitive really, emotional to a fault, the 'wear your heart on your sleeve' guy (I even have the tattoo on me, acknowledging the emotions on my sleeve that have built the inner machine of me). I was always told it wasn't okay, I was told I was weak, a sissy, a spaz and crybaby, and there are more adjectives out there then I care to remember to label a singing, dancing, acting, 'love the arts' little boy who enjoys journals and rock collecting, reading into the twilight, and Ray Bradbury dreams of forever summers dipped into the golden glow of untapped mystery and adventure. Yep, that was me, and that is me. Still hunting over every horizon for an Egyptian pyramid, a secret tunnel, a magical bridge, or a closet to somewhere, still the first one to cry when the music swells or the hero finds his way back to his true love, and yes, I do believe in true love.
Still emotional, still the vulnerable one, still the one who cries at Milo and Otis, the Oreos commercial with the dad and daughter, a great Broadway ballad, or the end of any good novel.
I grew up with this, and I grew into it, refusing to shed this version of me as it was and is my truth, the most authentic version of myself, and taught me, as I now teach my children, that it is not only okay to have a full range of emotions, but to share them and be okay with feeling them. They're a gift, a way to remind us to be grateful for this brief time we have to embrace life on this planet, and for all it's worth I want to embrace every emotional bit of it.
Sharing emotions, giving of yourself from an emotional place, being emotionally available to others, and accessible as a human being offers a vulnerable window into yourself, and to me, it is another component of the heartleader persona. The ability to truly live in an empathetic space, and to create a safe environment for others you collaborate with to embody that as well, can be a profound relationship-builder and a way to construct true connections with others that focus on that thing that so often gets lost in assessments, performance reviews, external measures, and grades--the human being factor, and simply being present and vulnerable with others.
The opportunity for people to respectfully and sensitively navigate emotional landscapes with one another--it takes deep amounts of honesty, trust, and authenticity, but the investment from placing that kind of emotional currency in the bank of your heart pays out dividends that can build an emotionally-evolved environment that is productive, healthy, and grounded because love for other people, and their needs and stories, dominates the core of that landscape.
So yeah, that's me, front row, I'm the one with the tissues and the tears in my eyes, but I'm okay with that, and I am totally okay with you seeing me for everything I am.