Vulnerability

It’s funny how much overlap there is between what makes for a functional management team and with what is required for a healthy personal or even intimate relationship. It’s all to do with human emotions and relationships.

Patrick Lencioni has a lot to say about why vulnerability is an important trait of good leaders. Here are some of his points:

1. Share failure stories with staff.
   When leaders openly share their stories of failure with the people they manage, it does two things: gives staff permission to make mistakes, and presents the leader as a fully human, imperfect person. When leaders always portray themselves as successful and competent, staff hesitate to trust them as people.

2. Celebrate an employee’s superiority
   When leaders admit that one of their staff has a trait that exceeds their own, and one that they wish they had, it demonstrates humility and vulnerability in a powerful way. Nothing builds trust like a leader admiring a subordinate.

3. Let an employee teach them.
   When leaders allow an employee to teach them something meaningful, it demonstrates humility and gives the employee a sense of importance. By putting themselves, genuinely, into the role of being a student, leaders can earn the trust of an employee who will appreciate their vulnerability.

Nice video where he explains vulnerability based trust.