How I Work

My Favourite Tip: Hugh Van Cuylenburg - Vulnerability is a speed-boost for connecting with others

04.17.2023 - By Amantha ImberPlay

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Hugh Van Cuylenburg was not having a great time, to say the least. He was already unpopular with his then-pregnant wife for being out of town while she and their children all had COVID (and fair enough, he says!), when a previously minor medical problem unexpectedly became very serious. After some painful injections, he managed to get on stage for a speaking engagement, only to finish his presentation suddenly feeling ill. 

So, when he finally sat down for a podcast interview with someone he barely knew, and she asked how he was doing, he said he’d been better. After launching into the story for a good twenty minutes, Hugh realised his vulnerability was having an unexpected effect: his guest could relate, and she shared her own similarly vulnerable experiences, and their rapport developed at lightning speed. 

Hugh teaches you how to use your low moments for high impact when trying to build a connection with other people, both at work and beyond. 

Connect with Hugh on The Resilience Project’s website or listen to The Imperfects podcast

You can find the full interview here: Hugh Van Cuylenburg demonstrates how a strong purpose fuels strong actions

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

 

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

 

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More episodes from How I Work