Embracing Change Through Vulnerability

1. “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.” — Robin Sharma

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” — John Allen Paulos

Change is one of life’s great certainties, yet it remains one of the hardest things for people to navigate. In America today, change feels more overwhelming than ever—political uncertainty, shifting policies, and sudden disruptions have left many unsure of what’s coming next. Leadership upheavals, economic swings, uncertainty surrounding AI’s impact, and seesaw policy shifts are drastically altering people’s lives with little warning.

For many federal government employees, these changes are not abstract—they are deeply personal. Jobs that once felt stable are suddenly gone, upending financial security, career plans, and family stability. This kind of upheaval is not just a challenge—it’s a crisis. And in the face of such uncertainty, there is one tool that can help us manage change effectively: vulnerability. Rather than resisting or fearing change, embracing vulnerability allows us to better adapt, learn, and ultimately grow.

Vulnerability helps us deal with change by making space for uncertainty rather than fighting it. In Large and In Charge No More—A Journey to Vulnerable Leadership, I write about how leaders often struggle with change because they see admitting uncertainty about what lies ahead as a weakness. Leaders are supposed to have all the answers, right? But true leadership—whether in government, business, or our personal lives—demands the courage to acknowledge what we don’t know and then figuring out how to clarify the picture. The leaders and individuals who navigate change most successfully are those who are open to learning, adjusting, and accepting that they don’t have all the answers, and then getting after finding them out. As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.”

A relevant example of the power of vulnerability in the face of change can be seen in those who have lost their jobs abruptly due to mass government layoffs. Many of these civil servants dedicated decades of their lives to public service, only to wake up one morning with an email notifying them that their services were no longer required, that they’d been fired. The emotional toll of such sudden upheaval cannot be overstated. These people are facing mortgage payments, healthcare affordability concerns, tuition, and the uncertainty of how they will provide for their families.

While those who, by good fortune, immediately land new jobs and will most likely navigate this sudden change well, many others will face significant challenges. Allowing themselves to grieve, acknowledge their fear, and then open themselves up to new and maybe even different possibilities for these individuals will be the best pathway forward. To perhaps consider something that to this point had been a pipe dream, or something considered too out-of-the-box to pursue, even in that nebulous future world of generative AI. Vulnerability in these moments means admitting that the path forward is unclear but also embracing the potential for reinvention.

History has shown us time and again that those who resist change, who cling to what was, often suffer the most. In contrast, those who practice vulnerability—who ask for help, who lean on their communities and families, who admit when they are struggling—are the ones who find their way forward. A powerful metaphor for this can be found in the wisdom of nature: It is not the strongest trees that survive the storm, but those that can bend without breaking. The ability to acknowledge fear, without being controlled by it, is a hallmark of resilient leadership and of people who thrive in times of upheaval. And there’s plenty of upheaval in the lives of so many who just two months ago had security, predictability, and felt appreciated and needed. My sincere desire for all of these people so callously treated is for them to land on their feet as quickly as possible. We must also acknowledge that change is inevitable for everyone and tapping into our vulnerability is a tool that should not be ignored.

The world and our lives in it will continue to change, often in ways we do not expect or desire. But vulnerability provides a roadmap for navigating the unknown. It allows us to release the illusion of control, to accept uncertainty, and to find strength in our adaptability. Whether we are facing political instability, job loss, or personal transitions, our ability to embrace vulnerability is what will determine how we emerge on the other side. Change is inevitable—but how we respond to it is entirely up to us. As Viktor Frankl so eloquently wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”