By Kevin Crawford
There’s a tension in most organizations that rarely gets addressed directly. I’ve seen it play out at every level—especially when you’re sitting in the CEO chair.
That tension is the unspoken divide between leadership and the rest of the organization. Staff will do what’s asked, but underneath it all, there’s an underlying belief that the rules are different at the top—that the expectations they’re held to don’t apply upstream.
When that tension exists, it interferes with everything: communication, motivation, engagement—you name it.
Vulnerability: A Powerful Leadership Stance
I’ve come to believe something simple and clear: vulnerability is one of the most powerful personal positions a leader can take. Not as a tool, not as a tactic—but as a way of being. When it’s authentic—and that’s a key word—it can completely change the way an organization operates.
Vulnerability isn’t surface-level humility or saying the right things in a town hall. I mean real, demonstrated, risk-taking vulnerability. It’s the secret sauce. If there is one essential, non-negotiable ingredient to meaningful leadership, this is it.
Demonstrating Vulnerability in Practice
Vulnerability is a personal stance—a way of showing up that says:
“These are the standards we live by. And you can expect me to follow them too. If I don’t, walk into my office and call me out.”
That single act flips the power dynamic. It tells the team: I’m not above the culture. I’m part of it.
In practice, vulnerability looks like this: when I walk into a room with my senior team and lay out expectations, I follow it with:
“These are not only my expectations of you. They are your expectations of me. And if you don’t see me acting in a way that aligns with what I’m asking of you, you have every right to come into my office and call me out.”
Most CEOs don’t say that—or if they do, they don’t really mean it. But when you do—and you mean it—it breaks down walls. It levels the field. It tells people you’re not dictating from a distance; you’re standing next to them.
Trust Starts with the Leader
I’ve always believed that trust starts with me. It’s not something I wait for others to prove. I give it freely. I assume people are capable, competent, and trying to do their best. And in return, I hold myself accountable—sometimes even more than I expect from others.
When someone on my team brings me two options, A or B, I don’t hand out a decision. I push it back to them:
“I think you’re capable of making that call. I trust you. And if it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll unbundle it and move forward. Together.”
This builds an operating model based on trust, not control, giving people room to act—and to grow. Sometimes mistakes happen, and we discuss them. But most of the time, people rise to the occasion.
Changing a Distrustful Culture
When I started working with a global organization, staff told me it was drowning in distrust. One even said it “oozed from the walls.” I listened. I let them speak. Then I said:
“I hear it. I believe you. But that ends today. This is a new culture starting right now. And I’m responsible for it. Watch what I say. Watch what I do. And if I fall short, you have every right to call me on it.”
That’s vulnerability. And when it’s real, it changes everything. People speak hard truths. Union reps vent frustrations. Complaints are laid bare—and I don’t flinch. I respond:
“Your morale is not my responsibility, just like mine isn’t yours. But I will work tirelessly to build an environment where you want to be here, where you feel engaged and respected. And you can hold me to that.”
When you speak this directly, people listen. Because they rarely hear it from anyone in a leadership role. Over time, the feedback changes: “I trust him.” “He’s in it for us.” Occasionally, “I’d take a bullet for that guy.” That’s when you know it’s working.
Leading by Giving, Not Taking
I’ve turned down bonuses before. Instead, I’ll take the management team to a sporting event, pay for the suite, and spend time with them. Leadership isn’t about taking more; it’s about giving more. When people see that it costs you something—that you gave for their benefit—they remember it.
Vulnerability Is the Secret Sauce
Vulnerability is not comfortable. It’s not always clean. But it works. It’s how you create trust. It’s how you model real accountability. It’s how you show your people that they matter.
Not many leaders use it. But the ones who do? They’re the ones who get it right.
