Vulnerability in leadership has been, for decades, considered a major no-no. In fact, it wasn’t even a consideration.

Not so ‘long, long ago’, the traditional patriarchal, hierarchical model of leadership commonly confused vulnerability with weakness, and it was castigated to Room 101 in favour of fear-based dominance, power-plays and distorted gender roles.

Although this error is still made today, a modern leadership practice recognises the strength of intentional vulnerability. Acknowledging its innate ability to foster stronger relationships, and build greater trust and more positive workplace relationships based on honesty, transparency and openness. It also nurtures greater wellbeing for self and others, giving others permission to reciprocally express human vulnerabilities, which enables the modern leader to support employees to get to solutions more quickly and create a culture of psychological safety.

From: “I’m fine, I’ve got it, leave it with me - this is no problem for me” [enter: panic, anxiety, stress, imposter feelings, perceived failure, executive dysfunction].

To: “You know what? I’m struggling with that. I’m not sure how to do that. I think I could use some more support” [enter: ease, honesty, authenticity, integrity, learning, consistent executive functioning].

Building vulnerability into your leadership practice can be learned.

Try a few tips:

admitting a mistake: “You know, I go that wrong, I’m sorry.”
revisit a previous conversation where you feel you could have handled it better: “Something came up for me when we talked last that I’d like us to revisit together.”
set goals that are realistic for you and your team: “Have we factored in time for the unexpected, and time to be well enough to do our jobs to the best of our ability? What do we need to consider to make that possible?”
express your awareness of your emotions: “I’m aware I’m feeling stressed right now, I’d like to take a moment to centre myself” - if it’s possible, try adding “can we pick this up another time?”
talk about effective coping mechanisms for managing stress: “How are we supporting our teams to talk about ‘not knowing’ with safety?”