Leading With Vulnerability

It's one thing to let your team see your mistakes and make you feel uncomfortable, but it's another to put yourself out there as a leader who is not afraid of being wrong or feeling vulnerable. But leadership isn't about always having the best idea or being the smartest person in the room, leadership is about creating a culture that values vulnerability and problem solving as a team. In this post we'll talk about why leadership requires vulnerability and how you can lead with more vulnerability on your own leadership journey!

What is vulnerability?

Vulnerability is putting your ego to one side, and in doing so allowing yourself to assess the situation with clarity and objectivity.

It's ok to make mistakes

Oftentimes when we have made a mistake, our first instinct can be to protect ourselves and our reputation. When we do this, it can hinder us from seeing the true issue and how to solve it. We become so focused on defending ourself or protecting our position that we delay the focus on problem-solving and we also role model these behaviours for our team. The next time someone in your team makes a mistake, its likely they will follow your lead: defend, distract and obfuscate.

The better choice is to be transparent with your team, own your mistake and talk about how you can learn from it. It also creates the space for you to ask for help, and collaborate on a solution.

Even if your team is not in the room to witness this, they will hear about it and take note of what you did when faced with a mistake. When we practice vulnerability we show our teams that it's ok to make mistakes, and it's ok to ask for help.

It's brave to not always have to be the best

It can be exhausting always needing to be the best - to have the best idea, to be the first person to speak, to always have critiques for others. When these are the behaviours that you role model for your team, you teach them to put their own ego in front of the good of the team. You also inadvertently tell them that your ideas are better than theirs, which can discourage sharing, creativity and innovation because your team might be too scared to contribute or ideate in front of you.

Being vulnerable also allows you to be honest about yourself - you can say "I'm not in the right headspace to tackle this, could we come back to it tomorrow?" - and in doing so, gives those around you permission to do the same. You remove the pressure to perform at all times which creates a human-centred and realistic approach to the demands of work.

It takes courage to lead with vulnerability, but leadership is not about having strength or weakness, it's how you use them together that makes you a great leader. Successful leaders know when to allow others shine and are comfortable being vulnerable themselves when they don't have all the answers.

What value does vulnerability have for you as a leader?

Being vulnerable as a leader tells those around you that it's ok to be vulnerable themselves - you cultivate a workplace that values and supports open and transparent communication. This gives you freedom to lean in when you're feeling energised and passionate, but also gives yourself permission to take a step back when you need to.

Vulnerability also creates a space that facilitates creativity and innovation without fear. Leadership that is vulnerable creates room to explore ideas without judgement or fear, it encourages others to be open with their thoughts and fears instead of putting up a front because they're afraid of what might happen. You will be able to build stronger, more effective relationships around you because you are operating from a place of honesty and respect - key elements in building trust.

How can you cultivate vulnerability?

Mindfulness and self awareness: To be vulnerable, we must push past our basic instincts to protect ourselves at all costs. We need to be mindful and have self awareness around our reactions and approaches in team meetings, 1:1s and other forms of communication like emails. Take a beat before responding to allow your slow thinking rational brain to kick in and help you make the more effective choice.

Curiosity: Asking questions can help us get past initial barriers, asking more about feedback, asking others for their thoughts, asking for help, asking ‘why'. When you take the time to understand your own and others' point of view or perspective it highlights new insights and opportunities to move forward and take a different direction instead of defense or attack.

Acknowledging emotions: Taking responsibility for our feelings can be an incredibly powerful tool when managing teams. This means not pushing past how we are feeling in order to get something done but instead accepting that we have emotions and feelings and taking the time to understand what we're feeling and why.