Vulnerability in leadership and life
Near Milford Sound, NZ, genuinely and vulnerably embracing humility and awe 😊
By Kerryn Vaughan
9th February 2026
It’s been an entire year since my last blog. I needed some time off - some down time to reconsider what was important to me. I struggled with the sense of letting people down, and how that balanced with my own worth. I concluded I needed to take care of myself first, or there would be no support or inspiration for others. For now, I’m back, but if the future asks me to rest, I will - without the guilt.
While I’m leaning into vulnerability, this post is all about that. In fact, this will be the first in a mini series on vulnerability in the hope that 2026 brings a hell of a lot more of it because we so desperately need it.
Last year, I saw leaders experience too much force, agitation, struggle, overwhelm, frustration etc. The leaders who found relief, were those who took a leap of faith and wholeheartedly embraced vulnerability.
They decided to say they ‘don’t know’. They leaned into asking their team to help solve problems they couldn’t. They admitted when they just couldn’t do one more thing that day. They told people they cared for them and wanted to help from a better angle. They asked how they could support people better. They weren’t afraid of the responses because the alternative was becoming too much.
Surprisingly (not) was that people did not ‘eat them alive’. People did not think ‘they were weak’. People did not ‘take advantage of them’. And they were not perceived as ‘too soft to be a good leader’.
All of the damaging narratives and imagined scenarios that often go through leaders minds preventing them from leaning into vulnerability, did not happen.
What did happen was transformative. Conversations improved. Relationships improved. Performance improved. Trust improved. Problem solving improved. Innovation improved.
What decreased, was sick leave, conflict, avoidance, misunderstandings, and defensive retaliation - among many other things.
This isn’t just for leaders - it’s for every single one of us as we navigate relationships, families, expectations, society - and where we fit (real or perceived) within each of these.
It’s common for people think vulnerability is leaving yourself open to be harmed, but that couldn’t be further from the truth if embraced and delivered with authenticity and genuine care.
Vulnerability is humanness, we’re all messy, and none of us have all the answers.
This week, try just one tiny act of vulnerability. You might be surprised. If it doesn’t work, stick at it - it soon will.
#Vulnerability #Leadership #Human