Leadership Myth #5 of 6 in the Worldview Intelligence series is that leaders must be fearless and never show weakness. Supposedly, this presents them as strong, confident and like they have all the answers.

It turns out, leaders are human and, like everyone, they do experience fear, anxiety and uncertainty at times. The transparency of acknowledging this builds stronger connections with team members and fosters a more authentic and supportive work environment. It demonstrates what it means to engage and speak up honestly in a healthy workplace culture.

Vulnerability Does Not Equal Weakness – It is a Strength

Vulnerability has often been associated with weakness. Some of this equates to war times when one side or the other might have vulnerabilities in their positions to be exploited, potentially leading to big losses. Vulnerability can be seen as being without protection, where someone can be easily hurt, physically or emotionally. There are also references to vulnerable populations like the elderly, those living with auto-immune diseases, in poverty or at risk in some other way.

The good news is, vulnerability has a whole other connotation. It also means letting down walls, even just a little bit, to open up to experiencing a wider range of emotions and experiences, individually and collectively. Being vulnerable helps us to know ourselves better, while cultivating and strengthening relationships and trust with others. The willingness to be vulnerable lies at the root of social connection, a quality and practice of a Strategic Workplace Culture.

Effective leaders recognize that making mistakes is part of the learning process and offer ways to deal with mistakes as learning opportunities. They create an environment where vulnerability is seen as a strength and team members feel safe admitting and learning from failures because this is modelled by their leaders.