The paradox is real
The Vulnerability Paradox in Leadership
As a founder, you are often expected to lead with strength, clarity, and vision. Whether you’re building a team, guiding clients, or shaping a brand, the pressure to embody what you teach is real. It’s like the personal trainer with a toned body or the interior designer with a flawless home. But what if it doesn’t? This is the vulnerability paradox.
The Mask of Perfection is a Heavy OneIn leadership, there is often an unspoken belief that strength means control. But hiding what is real creates more tension. The pressure to be perfect can become a quiet prison.
Your Humanity is Not a LiabilityVulnerability is not weakness. In my own life, I remember the exact moment the mask cracked. I realised that the fear of being seen was keeping me from being known.
Finding the Balance Between Truth and TrustYou don’t need to spill everything. Your people can feel the difference between curated leadership and embodied truth. When you allow space for your vulnerability, you create space for theirs too.
Leadership Can Be Lonely Without Safe SpacesMany founders find themselves in this in-between space. Your team looks to you. And it can leave you wondering where you get to lay it down. This is why having your own container matters. Spaces where you are not the leader, but the human.
You Don’t Have to Choose Between Power and VulnerabilityBoth can live in you. You can be confident and confused. The idea that you must hide your humanness to lead well is a lie.
The Paradox That Sets You FreeHere is what I know. The more you embrace your vulnerability, the more you actualise your potential. You stop wasting energy trying to hold a version of you that is not needed. You let people feel the real you. You are not alone in this.
Tanya x
Leadership Coach & The Coaches Coach Master Certified Demartini Method Facilitator BAppSoSc (Counselling) |