In their 2022 article in Harvard Business Review, Dan Cable explores how leaders can build confidence in showing vulnerability, an area that continues to challenge many who feel pressure to always project certainty.
Cable highlights that vulnerability, when modelled skilfully, can strengthen psychological safety and adaptability in teams. Rather than undermining credibility, leaders who share their learning experiences and constructive feedback often become more approachable and trustworthy.
Three practices stand out.
First, normalising learning through the language we use, with ourselves and others, helps frame setbacks as part of growth. Leaders who model this self-talk create space for teams to experiment and innovate.
Second, sharing personal developmental moments – times when feedback or mistakes led to growth – fosters long-term improvements in psychological safety. Importantly, studies show this does not reduce perceptions of competence.
Finally, showing moral humility by acknowledging mistakes in addressing ethical challenges and inviting others’ input reduces the risk of being perceived as morally superior, and encourages prosocial behaviour among followers.
The evidence is clear: vulnerability is not weakness, but a catalyst for trust, adaptability, and ethical behaviour. Leaders who embrace and share their own moments of uncertainty create teams that are more willing to learn, collaborate, and act with integrity.
You can read the original article here.
