The Leader And The Imperfect Video
Have you heard of Angela Arhendts? She is a former CEO of Burberry who later moved to Apple as Senior Vice President, responsible for retail and online stores. In her new role at Apple, Angela had a challenge. What could she do to connect with her team of over 70,000 people, spread across the globe?
She had an idea. She decided she would shoot a video every week, that would go out to the entire team. Nothing fancy. Just a three-minute video where she’d share her thoughts, observations, and priorities. One day while shooting the weekly video, her phone rang. It was her daughter calling. The camera kept rolling even as Angela picked up the phone, confirmed all was well, and told her daughter she’d call her back in just a bit. She put the phone down and continued with her message to the team, picking up from where she had left off.
Recording over, her team said they’d edit the video and remove the phone call interruption and send it out. But Angela said to them not to bother editing it, and to just let the whole video go as is, phone call and all. Her team pushed back to say Apple has the editing tools to make it appear flawless – and no one would even know there was an interruption. But Angela had other ideas. She wanted the video to be authentic. Real. The team reluctantly agreed, and the unedited video was shared with the team on Monday morning. And what happened next took Angela completely by surprise.
She got over 500 emails the next day. And all those mails said the same thing. Thank you for taking the call from your daughter. Thank you for showing us that you put your kids first. And thank you for showing us your softer, authentic self.
In a world where leaders are all striving to look perfect, and trying hard to show they are Superman or Superwoman, here was Angela, showing her vulnerability. Forsaking perfection for authenticity. And that made all the difference. Her team saw the real Angela. A concerned, loving, real mom behind that title of Senior Vice President. Someone who put her family first. And someone who was okay with not looking perfect. Those were early days for Angela at Apple. But that video – and the phone call – helped her build trust with the team, and paved the way for some fabulous business results.
Maybe we should all take a leaf out of Angela’s book. Be authentic. Let go of the need to appear all-knowing. You don’t have to be perfect. No one is. Get comfortable with who you are. Embrace your flaws and your failings. Every day in our lives, there are several tiny, little moments where we can choose to show our vulnerability. Or choose to hide behind a façade and pretend we are perfect. Choose wisely.
Get comfortable with your flaws. Show the real you. In a world of Insta-filters and Photoshop, resist the temptation to hide your imperfections and shortcomings. People don’t want to be led by all-knowing, perfect leaders. They’d rather be part of a team where they can relate to a leader. And trust that leader.
Do an Angela today. Show your authentic self. Show your vulnerability. Because in the end, it’s vulnerability that builds trust.
