Vulnerability Toolkit

What Is Leadership Vulnerability?

As a leader, being vulnerable with your team can help earn their trust and buy-in. However, for many leaders, admitting challenges or a knowledge gap can be rather difficult.

A leader who expresses vulnerability is someone who does not feel compelled to be the first to answer or come up with an idea. Being vulnerable as a leader involves a change in mindset that enables you to see through the eyes of the people you lead.

Vulnerability is also critically important to performance. If you do not have the skill or are not putting in the effort, you are only going to be able to perform to a certain level.

Why Is Showing Vulnerability Important to Leaders?

Great leaders recognise the importance of bringing vulnerability to work because it is the foundation for open and nonjudgmental communications. Vulnerability fuels the strongest relationships, and ultimately, helps bring even more success to your organisation.

Often mistaken for weakness or fragility, vulnerability in the workplace is the root of authentic leadership and meaningful connection. It is the ability to express and expose, in words and behaviour, who we really are and what we genuinely think and feel.

How Do We Embrace Leadership Vulnerability?

Being vulnerable as a leader involves a change in mindset that enables you to see through the eyes of the people you lead. By doing so, you invite them to become the drivers of the conversation. The result is that people become more involved and invested.

Being vulnerable and showing oneself to others is actually a sign of courage and self-confidence in a leader. This does not mean that they just let it all hang out, spilling out their emotions whenever they feel like it. Successful leaders know when the time and place are right to show their real and authentic selves.

What Does the Research Tell Us About Leadership Vulnerability?

In Mark Murphy’s study: “The Risks of Ignoring Employee Feedback,” a key finding was how much employees love it when their bosses share the challenges they are facing.

The research revealed that smart employees do not follow a leader who refuses to acknowledge reality, especially when the reality is that there are big challenges on the horizon. It makes the leader appear clueless or insecure (or both) when everyone else can see the challenges that the leader refuses to admit.

The study recommended that in order to feel safe in being vulnerable, that leaders need to remember that if an employee believes their company openly shares the challenges facing it (i.e. that their leaders are vulnerable), that employee is about 10 times more likely to recommend it as a great employer.

Key Questions to Reflect on as a Leader:

How often do you admit that you do not know the answer?
How often do you share what is challenging you with your colleagues?
How often do you ask for help?
How often do you tell people when they have upset you?
How often do you admit to feeling pride and shame?
When was the last time you reached out to reconnect with someone you had lost contact with
When was the last time you shared personal information that you might normally hold back on
When was the last time you were vulnerable and what was the impact on that relationship?