Vulnerability Takes Courage

Listening to Alexis Santos’s meditation “Strength from Vulnerability” on the Happier app got me thinking about how often leaders confuse vulnerability with weakness. In my coaching work, I see the opposite. The strongest leaders are the ones willing to be courageous with themselves and with others.

What if we thought about vulnerability in leadership in two ways:
internal courage and external courage?

1. Vulnerability as an internal act of courage

Before you share anything with others, courage starts with how honest you are with yourself:

• Where might my strategy have blind spots?

• What am I afraid could happen if this does not work?

• Who is impacted by this decision, and what might I be missing about their experience?

This kind of self-reflection is not softness. It is courageous, grounded leadership. You are brave enough to pause, question your thinking, and adjust before moving ahead with big plans or change initiatives.

Coaching question:
Where do you need to be more courageous with yourself before you move forward?

2. Vulnerability as an external act of courage

Then there is the courage you show with others:

• Asking your team, “What do you see that I might be missing?”

• Inviting ideas: “If you were in my seat, how would you approach this?”

• Saying in high stakes moments, “Let me think about this, consult with my team, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.”

That pause is courage. You are choosing accuracy over ego, better outcomes over having the answer on the spot. You are also signaling trust, which fuels engagement, innovation and retention.

Action question:

In one conversation this week, where could you show a little more courage, with yourself or with your team?

#executivecoach #leadershipcoaching #courageousleadership