There Is Nothing Wrong With Being Vulnerable As A Leader, Here's Why.

On a warm sunny day in Mexico, Sheryl Sandberg and her husband were vacationing when tragedy struck. Her husband, Dave Goldberg, died suddenly from a cardiac arrest, and Sheryl recounts how she had to tell her kids that their father died. It was the worst day; they could not get out of the car at the funeral, they fell to the ground, unable to take another step. Sandberg, trying to be strong, held her kids as they wailed while lying on the grass.

Sandberg said, “the grief of losing her husband felt like a void like it was sucking me in and pushing on me, pulling me in, and I couldn't even see or breathe. Sandberg was honest with her feeling, and she made it known to the world and, in the process, provided the most significant leadership lesson of all time, there is nothing wrong with being vulnerable as a leader. 

Be honest about your feelings.

 According to Shawn Doyle, many people think that revealing your feelings as a leader is a sign of weakness. Sheryl thinks it is a strength, and it makes employees more willing to discuss their feelings. Howard Schultz said the same thing when he returned as Starbucks CEO in 2007 during the worst decline in company history. With tears in his eyes, Schultz emotionally said to all employees that Starbucks would be no more if the company does not change. 

"there are moments where you’ve got to share your soul and your conscience with people and show them who you are and not be afraid of it," Howard Schultz.

Schultz indicated the need to be open and honest. Still, even more, he allowed himself to be vulnerable to connect with his employees. As a result, Starbucks experienced a spectacular recovery and cemented its status as one of the world's best brands. Vulnerability is hardly a trait many leaders race to embrace, according to Sheryl, but it can build deeper relationships and loyalty, enabling people to bring their whole selves to work. “I am much closer to the people around me than I was.” 

What you may think is a weakness can actually be a sign of strength. Showing you’re human can help you become a great leader; no one is without problems and challenges; everyone has strengths and weaknesses; leaders are no exception. Linda Rottenberg, CEO of Endeavor, a nonprofit organization supporting high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets, indicated that vulnerability wasn’t a choice for her because, in her mind, you have to be strong as a leader and show that strength to your team. But when her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer just as Endeavor was rapidly expanding, Rottenberg describes how she let down her guard and informed Endeavor’s board about her family’s situation in her book; Crazy Is A Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags.

“Rather than freak teammates out and distance me from them,” she writes, “my vulnerability drew us closer. And it changed me as a leader. By showing my true self, by revealing that I needed other people, by communicating through every meeting, email, and, yes, the occasional tear that I wasn’t invincible, I allowed people–especially employees–to relate to me as they never had before. By indicating that I needed help, I received it in ways I never would have otherwise.”

Almost every leader I knew seems to think that being vulnerable is a bad thing – it implies that you’re weak or defenseless. But according to Haudan and Linda, when someone is willing to admit they’re vulnerable, it demonstrates a level of trust and respect with the person or people you’re opening up to. 

Great leaders recognize the importance of bringing vulnerability to work because it is the foundation for open and nonjudgmental communications. Vulnerability fuels the most robust relationships, and ultimately, helps bring even more success to your organization. Many experts indicated that Sheryl Sandberg is responsible for Facebook's stunning success because founder Mark Zuckerburg was not good at logistics or handling other aspects of Facebook's business like HR and advertising. 

 But one of Sheryl Sandberg's greatest strengths is her ability to be vulnerable and sharing her vulnerability to her employees and, by extension, to the world. 

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Inspiration creates the highest levels of engagement, it is what separates the best leaders from everyone else, and it is what employees want most in their leaders. The Inspirational Leader, Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible was written to help all leaders successfully navigate all the disruptions in today fiercely competitive world; we need a new generation of leaders who care deeply for the well-being of their team and who understand that their people are the heart of their leadership. Each chapter in this book will push you to become the leader you were destined to be; a leader of influence, a leader of value, a leader of vision, and most importantly, an inspirational leader. 

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I am the founder of Leadership First, an organization committed to publishing the very best inspirational leadership quotes and articles from the best leadership minds in the world. We are dedicated to helping every leader create an excellent organization and to provide a daily cup of inspiration for all leaders.