A brave confession from a leader is useful. A brave culture is durable.
Leaders, have you been taught to project confidence at all costs if you want to be a successful executive? Well, decades of research tell a different story: leaders who admit mistakes, ask for help, and show genuine curiosity actually build stronger, more innovative teams. It might sound counterintuitive, but vulnerability isn't necessarily perceived as weakness – when done right, it’s part of the foundation of psychological safety and trust. But to build this foundation, leaders must be willing to drop the mask…
What Does "Vulnerable Leadership" Actually Mean?
Let's be super clear: workplace vulnerability doesn't mean crying in the boardroom or oversharing personal details in team meetings.
In a leadership context, vulnerability means being open about your imperfections, whether that’s being willing to admit uncertainty, ask for help, or own your mistakes. It’s showing genuine curiosity – while maintaining appropriate boundaries and demonstrating competence. Brené Brown (whose TED talk on vulnerability remains one of the most-watched of all time) frames it perfectly: “vulnerability is the birthplace of courage, innovation, and change,” not a liability.
Why Choosing Vulnerability Can Help Your Team
When leaders model openness about not knowing or being wrong, something powerful happens: it lowers the perceived risk for everyone else to speak up, try new things, and report problems when they arise.
This concept has a name in organizational psychology: psychological safety. Amy Edmondson's foundational research at MIT established that psychological safety – a team climate where people feel safe to speak openly, without fearing humiliation, retribution, or job loss – directly predicts learning behavior and performance in teams.
Recent data shows just how critical this has become: Boston Consulting Group's 2024 survey of 28,000 employees across 16 countries found that employees who feel safe to speak up report feeling more motivated, happier, and more capable of reaching their full potential at work. MIT Sloan research found that leaders who embrace vulnerability witness a 66% increase in team trust levels and nearly 50% rise in team cohesion. These same leaders also reported a 38% improvement in their own job satisfaction after choosing vulnerable, authentic leadership.
And then there's empathy, which requires the willingness to listen, to be changed by what you hear, and to acknowledge you don't have all the answers Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put it bluntly in a 2023 interview: "Empathy is not a soft skill. In fact, it's the hardest skill we learn – to relate to the world, to relate to people that matter the most to us." BCG's 2024 research shows a direct and powerful relationship between empathetic leadership and feelings of psychological safety in the workforce.
Vulnerability ≠ Weakness
"Won't admitting mistakes or flaws make me look weak?"
Vulnerable leadership is selective and strategic. It's about being honest about the right things at the right times, not broadcasting every feeling or doubt. Think authenticity, not oversharing.
When leaders acknowledge their own vulnerability, it doesn't diminish their authority. Instead, it fosters trust and boosts credibility. This is essential at a time when we're facing a leadership credibility crisis – a 2024 survey of 11,000 leaders found that trust in immediate managers dropped dramatically, from 46% in 2022 to just 29% in 2024. People trust leaders who show up as accountable humans, and that trust leads to a team that can work together effectively, even when things get tough.
7 Practical Ways to Practice Vulnerability
Ready to try it out? Here are concrete moves you can make starting now:
- Say "I don't know" – then ask, "What do you think?" This simple phrase signals both humility and curiosity while inviting contribution from your team.
- Own a mistake publicly and state your solution. This models accountability and problem-solving in action. Remember, your team watches what you do more than what you say.
- Share a personal growth story, not just feelings. Tell stories that connect emotion to action – what you learned, what you changed as a result. Real experience is better than abstract advice.
- Ask for specific feedback, listen, and thank people for it. Then show how that feedback has helped you change for the better – which reinforces that speaking up is safe and productive.
- Normalize "not having the answer" in meetings. Create rituals for uncertainty – like a "we don't know yet" parking lot for questions that need more investigation. Make not-knowing an invitation for collaborative problem-solving rather than a threat.
- Embrace curiosity and ask frontline questions. Leaders who are curious gain better information while showing that they value others' expertise. Practical empathy in action!
- Balance vulnerability with competence. Admit gaps, then show how you plan to close them. Vulnerability without action seems performative. Action without vulnerability feels cold. You can improve your influence by showing a balance.
Vulnerability Scales – But Not by Accident
When leaders show vulnerability, they legitimize learning for their entire organization. Build these skills into your culture through structural reinforcements: regular feedback loops, safe forums for questions and dissent, and visible follow-through on what people share.
Vulnerability is what invites the trust, innovation, and psychological safety your team needs to do their best work. The question isn't whether you can afford to be vulnerable as a leader; it’s whether you can afford not to be.