“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb.
Many leaders focus so much on how to get people to follow them that they forget the power of authenticity. To create genuine relationships with your team, it’s essential to be vulnerable. You might be wondering why you should reveal your vulnerabilities to your team. After all, why expose your flaws or admit you don’t have all the answers? The truth is, pretending to have everything under control is a form of deception that undermines your authenticity.
When you’re transparent with your team, you build trust, empathy, and a sense of common purpose that strengthens your collaboration. But being emotionally exposed is hard, especially when it comes to our work lives. The good news is, vulnerability doesn’t mean revealing every intimate detail of your life to your colleagues. Instead, it means showing your human side and letting your team see that you experience the same range of emotions and doubts they do.
When you share your fears and uncertainties, you create space for others to do the same, fostering a more supportive and productive work environment. Unfortunately, some leaders think that being vulnerable equates to weakness. They believe that they need to project strength and authority by being harsh and critical.
However, you’ll only achieve short-term results with this type of leadership, and it will only grow a divide between you and your best team members. Despite what you have learned in your life the truth is that vulnerability is a strength, and it helps you connect with your team and earn their trust. To be vulnerable, you need to open yourself up fully, admit when you don’t know something, acknowledge your fears, and expose your authentic self to your team. It’s like reading your journal out loud to strangers, a scary prospect, but one that can pay dividends in the form of increased understanding and collaboration. So, if you want your team to trust you, you need to show them that you trust them by revealing your vulnerabilities and flaws.
Fiocco Consulting LLC 
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