Developing Confidently Vulnerable leaders to thrive in the AI Era

For years, we have known that leaders must have confidence to perform within our organizations. We also know that the AI Era will require the ability to learn and adapt rapidly.  Our research found that the there are two critical and self-reinforcing elements that lead to high performance by leaders and organizations – Confident Vulnerability.

While vulnerability has been an often-cited source of leadership effectiveness over the last 10 years, our experience suggested that while it is a necessary aspect of leadership, it is not sufficient in and of itself.  It begged the question, “Does vulnerability and confidence work together for greater leadership effectiveness?”

We gathered data from several perspectives to discover the answer.  First, we surveyed over 450 workers across the full range of professions and jobs about their leaders and their teams’ performance.  Second, we interviewed 50 very successful executive leaders about what they understood led to their impact on organizational achievements and business results.  Third, we reviewed our database of hundreds of interviews completed we completed with teams reporting to CEOs, Divisional Presidents, and other C-Suite level executives.  Lastly, we layered in our extensive practical knowledge of working as executives within corporations and consulting with leaders across corporations.  We found how confidence and vulnerability combine for extraordinary impact.

Confident Vulnerability builds character for leading teams to high performance

It is a virtuous cycle led by the confidence to be vulnerable, which gains insight and influence.  Through advanced statistical analysis, we found that Confident Vulnerability built 4 attributes of leadership character.  Two about how leaders are inwardly – Authentic and Humble.  Two about how leaders are outwardly – Open and Influential.

Being Authentic is true self-confidence.  It shows up in leaders with strong sense of purpose and role, who set goals to reasonably grow beyond current capabilities, and are willing to try new things and look imperfect in the process.  Authentic self-understanding enables a leader to be Humble in ways that gain insight for clarifying direction and leading people.

Humble finds opportunities and means for growth when leaders recognize what they don’t know or could do better, when they take responsibility for things that don’t work out, and when they seek out people to learn from.  This skill set is critical moving into the AI era which is rapidly expanding what we know and changing ways results.

Confident Vulnerability at work – a powerful story from an icon in the energy industry

We work with the founder and chairman of a very successful petroleum and gas exploration company, who contributed many industry-shaping innovations to extracting oil.  He told us that his first oil well was very successful.  Following that success, he drilled more than a dozen “dry holes” – an experience that he intensely describes as something that “tempered” him.  While he had the confidence that came from his development and success in the first well, he learned the humility to inform his rapidly expanding confidence, leading him to become an industry icon.

Humble leads to being Open

Open is being outwardly vulnerable.  It shows up as curiosity, willingness to be influenced by others, and acknowledgment of their own mistakes, weaknesses, and opportunities.  Across them all, the successful leaders we interviewed said, “If I didn’t know something, I asked.”  They sounded rejected the “fake it until you make it” premise that floats about in the self-help management literature.  One leader remarked, “Asking others did two things.  One, I learned the answer, and two it engaged others.”   In our view, asking for help honors team members’ ability to contribute.

Being Influential

These ways of being Authentic, Humble and Open are Influential, enabling the leader to create healthy teams and organizations that continue to grow and expand their impact.  Being Influential comes from authentic confidence supported by humble and open vulnerability.  In the survey, participants reported the most influential leaders were the ones with whom they felt a deep connection springing from confident vulnerability.  The highest performing leaders formed a compelling vision and path forward, and led by example, especially by taking risks for the team’s benefit.

These attributes of leading with Confident Vulnerability work together to create and accelerate adoption and performance within the AI Era or other environments undergoing rapid transformation.  It is not any single one of these character attributes that is the secret to leadership.  Our statistical analysis and interviews with leaders demonstrate the combination of these elements generates energy in a well-informed and supported direction for sustained performance and results. 

 

Adaptable leaders

We also learned from the stories of successful leaders that they were never perfect.  In fact, they acknowledge they are never finished learning.  They just get clear about where they needed to get a little better to leverage their other strengths and better lead their team in the present challenge.  The Confident Vulnerability model helps leaders realize where they might focus to get a little better to move their organization forward effectively.

For more information about rapidly developing Confident Vulnerability in your leaders to drive dramatic growth, please contact us.