Why Vulnerability Is Important

In order to grow as a person and a leader, you must be vulnerable. You must open yourself up to potential damage in order that others you trust can see your weaknesses and help you grow in areas where there is a lack or gap in your leadership. Vulnerability then, which is often treated as a liability, is really a strength–particularly in business. As a leader you are expected to have a vision, take action and answer hard questions along the way. Being vulnerable—essentially an open, honest and self-deprecating person—lends itself to this process.

Vulnerably is not sharing your deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts and feelings. Unlike a complete invasion of privacy, vulnerability means letting your guard down and being willing to be yourself among your peers and others. If those around you sense no personality, no desire to relate to them in any other way than a boss handing down decisions to his reports, you’ll get a team that is at best intimidated and at worst completely isolated from their leader. The result will be a lack of valuable input and meaningful critique. This is, unfortunately, the typical leader: set apart from his reports, alone in his decisions, unable to create real buy-in to his vision, and ultimately weaker and less effective. 

Vulnerability then does not make you weak, but uses your ability to share your authentic self with others to create deeper relationships, engender trust, discover your actual weaknesses and build those weak areas into strengths over time. 

Being a vulnerable leader begins with confronting your doubts about yourself. There are aspects of leadership that you worry about and hold some sway over you. Maybe you don’t manage time well, or communicate effectively. Because you don’t do these things well, you avoid them. Instead confront them, and let others know about them, so that you can overcome them. It might be simple questions like, “Can anyone help me get a handle on my daily schedule?” or “Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can communicate our goals to our team regularly?” In this mode you’ll find most people truly desire to help you. Especially when you can connect your growth in specific areas with the organization’s success—and others’ success as a byproduct.

Vulnerability must be practiced. Work on your vulnerability by being an active listener and not worrying about saying the right thing. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t have all the answers or be wrong. Sometimes the boldest thing a leader can do is listen and truly hear other people’s ideas and answers. Expressing vulnerability can kick the elephant out of the room and allow people to talk freely about topics that may otherwise have been uncomfortably avoided. The result is increased openness and decreased tension in work environments (and for leaders themselves).