It is increasingly common for leaders to show vulnerability. These days, rather than feeling compelled to put up an impenetrable, flawless façade, many leaders are actively encouraged to share their worries, hopes, fears, setbacks, and challenges with their teams. The benefits of vulnerability include creating psychological safety within the team, increasing the team’s potential, building strong interpersonal connections, and encouraging innovation and risk-taking.
And yet, many leaders still wrestle with the idea (and practice) of vulnerability. In my work as an executive coach, I see leaders who work in industries where vulnerability is something they’ve been trained to guard against (such as financial services, insurance, and law) struggle to separate personal vulnerability from business vulnerability.
