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This week we’re closing the loop on the issues clearing model. As a tool of last resort, the issues clearing model is the one you’d reach for when all else has failed. Unfortunately, that also means that by this point tensions are probably running high and the risk of a communication breakdown is increased.

So, what happens if the issues clearing model fails? As a leader, what can you do when the model doesn’t work? How do you handle a team member walking out on the process? I’ve been there before and it’s in those moments that your level of comfort with awkwardness and vulnerability are tested. In becoming the consummate leader by attraction, this is an area that you simply cannot avoid.

In this episode, Mathew and I discuss the power of vulnerability for leaders in business. We talk about my personal experience with embracing discomfort and vulnerability, what to do if the issues clearing model fails, the benefits of a breakdown, why leaders need to get comfortable with awkwardness, and so much more!

Coming up next week, we’ll start our two-part series on power where we’ll be discussing what power means, when does it work for you, what it looks like when it’s being misused and more. Until then, we’d love to hear from you! Let us know how you’ve been using the issues clearing model and whether you had to come face to face with awkwardness and vulnerability. Send us your comments and feedback by email or through the form on our home page.

Key Topics:

• Mathew’s recent experience with vulnerability (1:35)
• Why I always tell people to under promise and over deliver (2:07)
• The assumptions you should test before you use the issues clearing model (4:59)
• What negative bonding patterns look like in a relationship (5:24)
• My experience with the issues clearing model failing in an executive setting (6:40)
• My most vulnerable and awkward moment as a facilitator (8:24)
• What to do if you encounter the worst-case scenario with the model (9:19)
• How to recognize a breakdown (10:14)
• Why you might need a breakdown (11:30)
• The benefits of signing up for awkwardness (12:12)
• My uncomfortable experience at a men’s leadership retreat (13:43)
• The fight against vulnerability in the business world (18:50)
• The value of being able to face awkwardness (21:00)
• How I cast off my discomfort and embraced vulnerability (22:13)
• And much more! 

Mentioned in this Episode:

•  The Issues Clearing Model
• Byron Katie’s Book | Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
• Harville Hendrix, creator of Imago Relationship Therapy
• Brené Brown, Researcher and Storyteller

Click here for a PDF version of the transcript