The Courage to Be Vulnerable

At work, most of us don’t consciously decide to hide our fears or doubts. We just… do. Over time, we’ve learned to nod along in a meeting where you actually didn’t understand the new process, to say “all good” when the workload is crushing, and to pretend we’ve got it together even when we don’t. 

Nobody gave us a manual on how to bottle things up. We picked it up by watching others, absorbing the culture, and slowly convincing ourselves that showing vulnerability isn’t “professional,” right? 

Wrong. 

We’ve all been there. And yet, here’s the paradox: the very thing we’re most afraid to do, admit our fear, our limits, our mistakes, is what great leaders do best. 

The myth of the flawless leader 

Many managers still carry the old-school belief that authority means never showing cracks. But teams see through that act faster than you think. Pretending to “have it all together” doesn’t inspire trust, it builds distance. Vulnerability, on the other hand, creates connection. 

Researcher Brené Brown has spent years studying this. Her conclusion? In her bestselling book Daring Greatly, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness—it’s courage. It’s the willingness to show up and be seen without guarantees. And courage, last time we checked, is a leadership quality. 

The science of safety 

There’s also organizational psychology behind this. Harvard’s Amy Edmondson calls it psychological safety, the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with an idea, question, or mistake. When leaders model vulnerability, they set the tone for safety. And teams in psychologically safe environments innovate more, collaborate better, and perform stronger. 

So if you want high-performing teams, vulnerability isn’t optional. It’s fuel. 

What vulnerable leadership looks like 

It doesn’t mean oversharing or breaking down in front of your team every Monday. It means being willing to say: 

• “I don’t have the answer, let’s figure this out together.” 

• “That decision didn’t go the way I hoped, I’ll own that.” 

• “I need support; can someone take this on?” 

These aren’t signs of weakness. They’re signals of trust. And when leaders go first, teams follow. Vulnerability creates space for others to speak honestly, take smart risks, and grow without fear. 

The wake-up call 

If you still think showing vulnerability makes you a weaker leader, you’re carrying outdated armor. In today’s workplace, nobody expects you to be flawless. What people want is a leader who’s real, one who admits mistakes, listens, and has the courage to be human. 

---

At ALVIGOR, we help leaders and teams turn vulnerability into strength. Through our leadership development programs, we create safe spaces for managers, HR, and executives to practice authenticity, build trust, and lead with courage.

So here’s the real question: are you brave enough to put the armor down? 

Collaborate with us, NOW!!