- Don't hide your mistakes
- Show that you are vulnerable
- Be yourself
Are all things that work best when you are (contextually) high-status.
Yet we are still culturally promoting them as the things we should all strive for in any situation.
However, it's way easier to be open about my professional mistakes now that I'm recognized by my peers and that I don't do too many of them.
It's simple to expose my vulnerabilities now that I've built a social network that will not hurt me with it because they like and respect me.
And it's certainly great to be able to be myself, now that people around me will say I'm eccentric, and not reject me.
It's like the behavior of men in romantic comedy. If you were to be ugly and awkward, doing what they do would get you arrested. You don't get to play "50 shades" or "twilight" if you are the hunchback of Notredame. It's also why energy, humour and culture are such great assets, allowing you to somewhat help with social status.
One day maybe we will stop selling to our children that life is about this one thing that works in all cases, and admit each life advice is highly contextual.