The Courage to Be Vulnerable – How Inclusive Leaders Build Trust Through Authenticity (Part 2)

As inclusive leaders, we often grapple with a fundamental question: How do we balance strength with vulnerability? The traditional view of leadership suggests we should project confidence and certainty at all times. But inclusive leadership demands something different – the courage to be authentically human whilst maintaining our effectiveness as leaders.

Brené Brown’s research on vulnerability, featured in one of the most-watched TED Talks of all time, provides crucial insights for inclusive leaders. She defines vulnerability as “the willingness to embrace uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” Far from being a weakness, vulnerability is actually a measure of courage – and it’s essential for creating the psychological safety that allows diverse teams to thrive.

The Permission-Giving Power of Vulnerability

When we show up vulnerably as leaders, we’re not just being authentic – we’re giving others permission to do the same. This is the magic of inclusive leadership: our willingness to be human creates space for others to be human too.

I’ve witnessed this transformation countless times. A senior sales leader in an American pharmaceutical company was announcing a major organisational change to a global audience. Instead of presenting the change as a flawless plan, he acknowledged the uncertainty: “We’ll make mistakes for sure, please help us to course correct.” This simple admission of fallibility created an environment where people felt safe to share concerns, ask questions, and contribute to making the change successful.

Similarly, I once worked with one of the smartest women I’ve ever met. Despite her expertise, she never hesitated to ask the most basic questions in meetings. Her willingness to appear uninformed gave the entire team permission to ask our questions without fear. This created a learning environment where everyone felt safe to explore ideas and challenge assumptions.

Vulnerability in Action: Real Stories from Real Leaders

The most powerful examples of vulnerable leadership often come from those who choose to share aspects of themselves that others might consider weaknesses or differences. These leaders understand that their authenticity creates bridges rather than barriers.

Consider the director in a Canadian construction company who made a point of being openly gay at work, bringing his partner to company events. His openness created a safe space for LGBTQ+ employees to come out, knowing they would be accepted and supported. This wasn’t just about representation – it was about creating an environment where everyone could bring their whole selves to work.

These examples illustrate a crucial principle of inclusive leadership: we don’t ask people to bring their authentic selves to work. We create a safe space for that to happen naturally.

Navigating the Complexity of Vulnerability

As inclusive leaders, we must acknowledge that vulnerability isn’t equally accessible to everyone. Those from minority groups often face greater scrutiny, with their mistakes being amplified and their credibility questioned more readily. This reality requires us to be particularly thoughtful about how we model vulnerability and support others in being authentic.

If we’re part of a minority group ourselves, we need to carefully consider what’s possible within our context. Sometimes, the most vulnerable thing we can do is to acknowledge the additional challenges we face whilst still showing up authentically. This might mean sharing our experiences of bias or discrimination, or it might mean being transparent about the extra preparation we do to be taken seriously.

For those of us in positions of relative privilege, our vulnerability can pave the way for others who might face greater risks. When we admit our mistakes, ask for help, or share our struggles, we’re normalising these behaviours and making them safer for others.

Cultural Considerations in Inclusive Leadership

Vulnerability and authenticity manifest differently across cultures, and as inclusive leaders, we must be sensitive to these variations. What feels natural and appropriate in one cultural context might feel uncomfortable or even inappropriate in another.

In Brazil, for instance, people often share much more about their personal lives at work than they might in England. When presenting in Bulgaria, I noticed that people rarely asked questions in plenary sessions – quite different from my Dutch audiences, who tended to be much more outspoken. These cultural differences don’t mean that psychological safety is less important in some cultures; rather, it means we need to understand and respect different ways of creating and expressing safety.

As inclusive leaders, we must learn to read the cultural context and adapt our approach accordingly. This might mean creating different opportunities for people to share and be vulnerable, or it might mean being more direct or indirect in our communication style.

The Balancing Act: Vulnerability with Confidence

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of vulnerable leadership is maintaining the confidence our teams need whilst still being authentic about our uncertainties. This is where the concept of selective vulnerability becomes crucial.

Dora Mołodyńska-Küntzel explains that when we share appropriately, we nurture trust, but when we overshare, we undermine it and compromise our authority. The key is to be vulnerable whilst presenting a path forward.

Instead of saying, “I’m just as confused with all the changes at the company right now as you are,” we might say, “I’m also concerned about the changes at the company right now. I’ve scheduled a meeting to find out more. But in any case, I believe in our team and that we’ll get through this.”

This approach acknowledges uncertainty whilst maintaining confidence in our ability to navigate challenges together. It’s honest without being overwhelming, vulnerable without being destabilising.

Building Trust Through Consistent Authenticity

The power of vulnerable leadership lies not in grand gestures but in consistent, small acts of authenticity. When we regularly say “I don’t know,” “I made a mistake,” “I need help,” or “I’m sorry,” we create a culture where these admissions are normalised rather than penalised.

As inclusive leaders, we can build this culture by:

• Admitting when we don’t understand something and asking for clarification
• Sharing our own learning journey and the mistakes we’ve made along the way
• Being transparent about our decision-making process, including our doubts and considerations
• Asking for feedback and genuinely listening to it
• Acknowledging when we’ve been wrong and taking steps to correct our course

These practices create psychological safety not through our perfection, but through our humanity.

The Ripple Effect of Authentic Leadership

When we show up as vulnerable, authentic leaders, we create ripple effects that extend far beyond our immediate teams. People who feel safe to be themselves are more likely to innovate, take calculated risks, and contribute their unique perspectives. They’re also more likely to extend that same safety to others, creating a multiplying effect throughout the organisation.

This is the true power of inclusive leadership: it’s not just about what we do, but about what we enable others to do. When we have the courage to be vulnerable, we give others the courage to be vulnerable too. And in that shared vulnerability, we find the foundation for truly inclusive, high-performing teams.

Thanks for reading – Let’s keep shining the inclusion light together! ✨

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This is the second piece of a three-part series on how to create psychological safety. It’s an excerpt adapted from my upcoming book, Practising Inclusive Leadership.

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