Seven’s Lucio Ribeiro on the power of vulnerability, curiosity and resilience for leadership

Seven’s director of digital marketing and innovation, Lucio Ribeiro, has spoken of the power of vulnerability, resilience and mental wellbeing in a powerful episode from the latest series of The Growth Distillery vodcast.

Ribeiro opens up on the “dark times” of his life and the challenges he has overcome in his life in the first episode of the series, hosted by News Corp Australia’s director, Growth Intelligence Centre and independent think tank The Growth Distillery, Dan Krigstein.

Ribeiro and Krigstein discuss the importance of curiosity, the power of community and how Riberio learned to ‘fill his cup’. Ribeiro’s episode is titled with his compelling quote: “Before you try to change the world, you have to get your house in order.”

“You have to be comfortable with your own strength and your imaginary weaknesses; it’s ongoing work and it’s really hard. Life should be super simple but it’s very complicated and I believe the light you discover in your life is comparable to the amount of darkness that you are willing to face,” Ribeiro told Krigstein.

The vodcast series aims to uncover what makes Australian marketing professionals tick and how they approach their lives and jobs through a deep dive into the industry.

Ribeiro told Mediaweek, he believes showing vulnerablity is one of the best ways to connect with others.

“The journey of discovery and learning is not necessarily looking for new landscapes, but having new eyes. Vulnerability by itself allows you a mindset of curiosity. There is no way on earth that when you are vulnerable, the other person doesn’t see authenticity. The power of vulnerability is that you really build up that connection among two people.”

Dan Krigstein, Mediaweek’s Tess Connery, and Lucio Ribeiro

For the mentors of tomorrow, Ribeiro said there are two core messages that he would pass on to those coming up through the ranks when it comes to making the most of their mentoring experience.

“You are the only person responsible for your own development. Nobody else – not the business you, no other leaders around you, nobody. You are responsible for your own career. You’re responsible for your own development,” Ribeiro said.

“Do not allow yourself to be resentful. The fact is if you find yourself in a resentful space – where it’s about your partner, your kids, your friends, your family, your co-workers – it’s because we haven’t really worked out what came before. What came before was frustration. Go back, sort out the frustration, and then when you have the frustration sorted out, it’s a matter of expectations.”

As for the advice that he’d give a younger version of himself?

“Vulnerability, taking responsibility, a commitment to curiosity and compassion, kindness, and the ability to give before you take – this is the advice that I would give myself 20 years ago,” Ribeiro said.

Ultimately, for those who tune in to the vodcast, Ribeiro said he hopes viewers leave with the message that “we all have elements of suffering and doubting yourself, and these are wounds. But the beauty of wounds is that they are the parts of your existence where the light can enter.”

Ribeiro said he was motivated to take part in the vodcast as an effort to both learn and help others by sharing his own experiences.

“After going through The Marketing Academy, there were two fundamental things that stuck with me. One is my promise to the business, to Sherilyn [Shackell], and my colleagues to pay it forward – and this is one of the ways of paying it forward.”