🔥 🎓I thought I had my future mapped out. Graduate college, then get into the Ph.D. program I’d dreamed of. But life had other plans.

The first rejection came fast: “We regret to inform you…”
My instinct was to collapse, shut down, and take the no.

Instead—I got in my car, put on my best suit, grabbed my entire portfolio, and walked into the admissions office. 🚗
I didn’t go to argue. I went to ask one question:
“What would it take for me to get in here?”

Two weeks later, my phone rang. 📞

To my astonishment, they admitted me into the Master’s program. It’s worth noting that this was not the program I initially applied for. However, considering the circumstances, being there was undoubtedly better than not being there.

Because I didn’t accept the no as the end. I stayed open.

Fast forward two years. I’m finishing my M.A., ready for the next step.
I apply for the Ph.D. program at the same university.
And then—another rejection. 🚫

I waited and did not lose my cool. Then at the end of the school year, I reached out. I partnered with a colleague and mentor. I networked and I asked questions.
I stayed open to new paths. 🔛

Come August I had made my case; I was admitted into the Organizational Behavior Ph.D. program at Claremont Graduate University—where I graduated in 2015.🎓

Looking back, I realize this:
Openness is why I’m here. 🙌
It wasn’t about a perfect plan. It wasn’t about ease.
It was about choosing flexibility over frustration. Curiosity over collapse.💫

Because openness isn’t avoiding hard truths.
It’s the ability to stay available when the easy answer is to shut down. 📖

🌱 Openness is the capacity to remain emotionally receptive, cognitively flexible, and relationally available—especially under conditions of uncertainty, feedback, or change.
It’s not passivity or overexposure, but the regulated ability to receive, reflect, and respond with discernment.

Last week I went over, willingness is internal readiness to engage, where as this week I shine a light on, openness as an external posture—the somatic and social signal that transforms control into connection.

📊 Research & Data

- Teams led by emotionally open leaders perform 25% better under pressure. (Harvard Business Review, 2023).
- Openness is a predictor of innovation and trust in hybrid teams. (MIT Sloan, 2022).
- Google Project Aristotle: Psychological safety—enabled by openness—is the #1 predictor of high-performing teams.
- Leaders who suppress emotions are 3.7x more likely to experience burnout and nervous system dysregulation. (APA, 2022).
- Openness to experience supports adaptability and long-term leadership effectiveness. (Costa & McCrae, 2004).

🧬 Every rejection could have been a wall.
Instead, it became an archway that I could walk through.
That was only possible because I chose openness—again and again.

Openness didn’t make me passive. It made me powerful.
And that same practice is what every leader needs when the path forward is unclear.

🧓 Openness is not oversharing. It’s not saying yes to everything.
It’s the skill of receiving feedback and staying present in discomfort without defensiveness.

Managers who are open create trusted teams.
Executives who model openness turn change resistance into engagement.
HR leaders who embody openness set the tone for equity and repair.

📣 Openness looks like:
- Naming what’s real without projecting fear.
- Receiving feedback—even when it stings.
- Try saying: “I don’t know yet, but let’s figure it out together.”

- Ask yourself: “What am I defending against?” before reacting.
- Invite your team: “What’s one thing we need more of right now?”
- Before your next meeting, pause, breathe, and regulate. Don’t just respond—receive.

In an era of complexity, openness isn’t a soft skill.
It’s your strategic advantage.

✅ 6 Ways to Practice Openness Tomorrow

1. Start with a Feedback Invitation 💬
Open your next meeting by saying: “I want to hear what I might not be seeing—what’s one thing we could do better as a team?”
- This signals psychological safety and models vulnerability without collapse.

2. Swap Defense for Curiosity in Real-Time 🧠
When you feel your body bracing during feedback, pause and ask: “Can you share an example so I can understand better?”
- This keeps you relationally available under tension—one of openness’s core competencies.

3. Flip the Power Dynamic 🔄
In your next strategy discussion, give someone else the floor first—especially someone whose voice rarely leads.
- This accelerates trust and dismantles control-based leadership patterns.

4. Audit Your Language for Control Signals 🔍
Scan your last three emails or meeting notes: Replace “We need to…” with “What would happen if we tried…?”
- Micro-shifts in language invite co-creation instead of compliance.

5. Practice Somatic Openness During Conflict 🫀
In your next difficult conversation, unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, and make soft eye contact before responding.
- This tells the nervous system—and everyone in the room—that it’s safe to stay engaged.

6. Run an “Openness Check” in Decision-Making 📋
Before signing off on a major choice, ask yourself: “Whose perspective haven’t we considered yet?”
- This prevents blind spots and models adaptive leadership.

📚 References

American Psychological Association. (2022). Executive Stress, Suppression, and Nervous System Health.
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (2004). Personality in Adulthood: A Five-Factor Theory Perspective.
Deloitte. (2024). Leadership, Trust, and Change in the Hybrid Workplace.
Edmondson, A. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace.
Gallup. (2023). Workplace Leadership and Change Resilience Index.
Google. (2021). Project Aristotle: Psychological Safety and Team Performance.
Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1997). Hiding Feelings: The Acute Effects of Inhibiting Negative and Positive Emotion.
Harvard Business Review. (2023). The Power of Emotionally Available Leadership.
MIT Sloan. (2022). Leading Through Uncertainty: The Openness Advantage in Hybrid Teams.
MIT Sloan Management Review. (2023). Open Leadership: The Organizational Advantage.