Is Vulnerability Really a Superpower?
Vulnerability isn’t always a strength. Here’s how to use it the right way as a leader.
Matt Hunter • June 17, 2025
In the current landscape of conscious and emotional intelligence-driven leadership, vulnerability is often held up as a superpower.
Leadership gurus like Brene Brown and others spread the gospel of being vulnerable, saying that the best leaders aren’t afraid to share their flaws, struggles, and mistakes. As a recent Harvard Business Review headline declared, “the best leaders aren’t afraid to be vulnerable.”
This movement arose as a swinging of the pendulum from past decades of stoic, hard-lined (and at times damaging) male leadership that saw any emotion as “weak,” and now seeks to reintegrate empathy, feeling, and “softer” values into the business world.
It’s not entirely off-base. But the real story of vulnerability in leadership, I think, is a little more complicated.
So what’s the right amount of vulnerability for a leader? When is vulnerability a strength—and when does it become a liability for your reputation and results?
A Tale of Two Leaders
Oracle’s Larry Ellison once shared the following story about vulnerability:
“Imagine two officers, each leading a company of Marines up a hill. The first one says, ‘Men, we're going to go up this hill and we're going to kill every fucking enemy soldier on our way to the top. I'm going first, and you're all going to make it to the top with me. I haven't lost one of you yet. Follow me.’ Cool, competent, and confident. I'm ready to follow that guy.”
“The second guy says, ‘Men, we're going to try to take this hill. I have to admit that I don't know how many enemy soldiers are on the hill, and I've never really done anything like this before, but I'm willing to go first if you're willing to follow me. We might make it, we might not. There's no way to know for certain. Even if we make it to the top, it's highly likely that some of us will be killed. Follow me.’”
Who would you follow?
The answer seems obvious. The first general commands authority, certainty, and decisiveness. He is unwavering in the face of risk, and his conviction invigorates the troops. But does that mean the second general, who openly admits fear, is weak? Is vulnerability a liability in leadership, or can it be a tool for greater influence?
By Ellison’s interpretation, the second guy is “impressively honest” about his fears and uncertainties and might be better suited to be a psychotherapist than a CEO. “There's no way anyone is following that guy anywhere,” he says.
How to be Skillfully Vulnerable
Before we go any further, let’s define what vulnerability really means.
To be vulnerable is to be open and exposed: to reveal the inner struggles, emotions, and experiences that we might normally keep inside for fear of judgment or rejection. It can help people to know us better and feel more connected to us, thereby fostering intimacy and more authentic relationships.
Once considered a weakness, it’s now often held up as a strength and even a superpower in business. Does that mean that leaders should go around sharing their worries, fears, and insecurities as a way to connect with their teams and inspire more honest and authentic workplace cultures?
I’m gonna say no on that one.
Does that mean that you should be totally armored up in front of your people, never sharing an ounce of doubt, hesitation, or humanity?
Also, probably a no.
As a leader, the reality is that vulnerability is not a binary choice—it’s a tool to be deployed at the right moments.
There is a time to be vulnerable, but there are many times when you should leave vulnerability out of the picture. Leaders are responsible for holding the emotional and psychological weight of their teams. They set the tone for everyone to follow. If they waver too openly, uncertainty can spread like wildfire. Doubt and hesitation can become contagious.
People need stability, confidence, and belief from their leader. You need to be able to judge if sharing vulnerability is going to help move things forward or if it’s going to sabotage your efforts.
I’m not saying that leaders should suppress all vulnerability or that they shouldn’t share their authentic selves. It means they must express it with intention. Vulnerability is nuanced. There’s a difference between the vulnerability of being wrong—a powerful form of openness that invites trust, transparency, and the capacity for risk and repair—and the vulnerability of being lost, scared, or doubtful, which can drain the team of direction and conviction.
The strongest leaders learn to be vulnerable without giving away their power. A leader who openly shares their fears in the heat of battle risks eroding trust and stability. When the leader gets too loose, everything starts to wobble. But a leader who never reveals anything about their struggles or growth can become distant, unrelatable, and disconnected from their team.
The difference lies in knowing when vulnerability fosters connection and when it weakens confidence.
Vulnerability is most effective in leadership when it serves one of three end goals:
· Building trust: When leaders acknowledge a mistake or admit they don’t have all the answers, they create space for honesty and problem-solving within their teams.
· Encouraging resilience: Sharing past failures or struggles can inspire a team to persist through their own challenges.
· Modeling self-awareness: Great leaders don’t pretend to be invincible. They demonstrate the courage to receive feedback and improve, and encourage this in others.
One important task of a leader is to instill confidence and direction, even when privately they’re unsure of whether they’ll be able to pull off their mission.
Tough but Human
It’s time to find a middle ground between the outdated midcentury model of vulnerability as weakness and the current trend of vulnerability as superpower.
Our old notions of strength as emotional suppression—especially for men—still linger. But true strength isn’t about avoiding emotion; it’s about channeling it skillfully and effectively. The strongest leaders are those who embody both conviction and authenticity. They are single-minded and unwavering in moments of action, yet open in moments of reflection.
Follow the general who understands when to be resolute and when to be human—who commands confidence while earning trust through thoughtful, strategic openness.