The shared burden of leadership

Leaders often make mistakes, and sometimes unexpectedly. When these mistakes happen, they are plagued with varying emotions and the fear of reactions from people who look up to them, haunt them. They are faced with a tough decision: to share their mistakes with their followers and risk being perceived as a failure or hide the truth and face the ripple effects of the error alone.

Leaders who choose the former enjoy the relief of a Shared burden and all the encouragement they need to get past that phase, while those who chose the latter continue to struggle to get past that phase and continue to wallow in fear. This could lead to irritation at work, grumpiness, transfer of aggression to subordinates, increased workplace tension, and intense fear of being discovered.

As a leader, you can avoid these negative consequences altogether by doing the needful: sharing the burden with your followers by admitting that you made a mistake and you won’t always have the answers. Not only will this admission of truth help you as a leader, but it will also incur support and understanding from those who look up to you. Leaders are not superman; they have struggles and shortcomings that they are sometimes scared to share, and overcoming this fear requires courage. The courage to admit that you don’t have everything figured out and afraid to say it. The willingness to learn from colleagues and subordinates even when you are in a position of authority indicates that you have passed the actual leadership test.

Teamwork is an essential factor that makes an organization thrive amid industry challenges. As simple as teamwork sounds, it can be very nightmarish for a leader to unify people of varying backgrounds, intellects, expectations, and experience to work as a team to achieve a common goal. Still, it is possible to position themselves as a ‘people’ person and open themselves up to vulnerability.

Leaders who are not afraid of showing their weaknesses earn an unrivalled commitment and solidarity from their associates. Everyone brings their best to the table so that things won’t fall apart. When burdens and struggles are not hidden, it breaks the hold they have on the victim. There are less tension and more transparency.

Read Also: Funbi Matthew, Chairman Of The Board, Centre for Organisation Leadership; Development (COLD)

When a leader is known for not hiding the truth and reality of good and bad situations from his staff, this emboldens others to speak up when they are struggling with challenges at the workplace, and it becomes a cultural norm. Your followers will confidently approach you for help and support rather than bottling the issues for fear of being reprimanded. This creates a better working environment that fosters sincerity and truthfulness. Those considered ‘weak links’ can step up their game and become more productive because of the anticipated positive response when they seek assistance. This culture is preserved and becomes a norm in the workplace. There is no fear of being shamed for mistakes made, and employees are encouraged to desist from sugar coating the truth of workplace situations to please their leaders.

When leaders express their vulnerability without shielding it from those closest to them, it breaks the cycle of fear imminent in the workplace, reduces workspace tension, and fosters effective communication. Communication is vital to the smooth running of any workplace; it is the foundation of human relationships and disseminating information across various arms of the organization. It brings leaders closer to their followers and deepens workplace connection for effective collaboration and increased productivity. Leaders who communicate effectively with their followers are considered easy to work with, and they earn the unreserved commitment of their subordinates.

Such leaders do not only lead any organization, but they also enjoy the dividend of open communication. Their associates are not afraid to correct them constructively when such leaders are wrong. They also suggest new ways to make the workplace more effective because such associates know that their ideas will be welcomed and received with open arms.

The Building of Trust is essential for an organization to continue to grow and succeed, especially in a world that can frequently be unstable. Having trust between the leaders and followers makes work go smoother and creates an environment conducive to innovation and expansion of knowledge. According to Nienaber, when it comes to building trust, there are two ways to express vulnerability: being passive in terms of reliance behaviour or being active in disclosure behaviour. In practice, this might mean leaders are reducing control mechanisms and monitoring systems and sharing important strategic data and information.

Vulnerability demystifies the air of ferocity known with leadership positions, as often, people have this image of leaders being stuck up and ruthless when it comes to achieving things. However, many successful leaders have shown that vulnerability does not take away from your tenacity; it only enhances it. It builds bridges of communication and sustains a long-lasting work experience that is fun yet impactful at the same time.

Being vulnerable allows leaders to be honest and open to getting the ideas and resources they need to be better at their jobs while also encouraging followers who might not be giving their best because they are afraid of failure. In the end, vulnerable leaders are those willing to take risks, and in doing so, they are showing the courage it takes to realign and accomplish more extraordinary things.

Conclusively, the vulnerability in leadership doesn’t translate to weak leaders who are baring their inadequacies to garner pity or accept defeat but break the fear of being misunderstood, the fear of making mistakes, and admitting that they are humans first before they became leaders.