Sharing your experience builds trust – with your team, peers, or even your boss.

The other day, I had an inspiring conversation that reminded me of how little place vulnerability has in the corporate world. Sharing your emotional state is still often frowned upon.

I used to think this was specific to my industry, as I spent so many years working in banking. But I’m not sure it is.

The corporate world can easily make you believe that you need to function like a well-oiled machine. Start your day, be productive, and leave. Speak up when there are client- or process-related problems, but otherwise keep quiet.

Eventually, you reach a point where you feel you can’t even be yourself. To make matters worse, the pressure that builds up, the problems that bother you and the deadlines that keep you awake at night could be dealt with in an environment where open dialogue is encouraged.

A culture where listening is not just a scheduled task, but a genuine openness to others.

After all, you’re human.

The power of reframing

Rather than worrying about how your emotions come across — after all, we all experience emotions in different ways — you can reframe the conversation.

Rather than talking about feelings, you can start by describing your experience. What is your experience of your role right now? How does it affect your life, health and relationships?

I know it can sound corny, but questions like these can reveal a lot in group settings. Contrary to creating an atmosphere of ridicule, they create an atmosphere of trust. It’s a space where each member can finally recognise that they’re not alone in their suffering.

Others are going through the same thing; it hasn’t been talked about enough.

When sharing creates a purpose

I’ve had several jobs in my career where I was at odds with the way things were going. Either I felt that things were going wrong or that things were off, or there was too much pressure without clear direction.

Initially, I also remember how lonely these kinds of thoughts and emotions made me feel. My mind used to get busy creating stories about how it must only be me who feels this way. Maybe the fault lay with me rather than the system or my employer.

However, whenever I found the courage to share what I was thinking, doubting or worrying about, the outcome was always positive.

I realised that I wasn’t alone in this. Others felt similarly, thinking that they were the only ones struggling.

There is a tendency to believe that the higher up the corporate ladder you climb, the easier it is to handle the amount of work, stress, pressure and demands.

But often, the reality is that the air only gets thinner the higher you climb. This also means there will be fewer people you can open up to.

That’s why it’s so important to have a support system, such as a mentor or coach.

Connect with me on LinkedIn or message me there, I would love to hear from you.