Advantage or Risk: Displaying Vulnerability as a Leader from a Disadvantaged Population

A lot has been said about the value of leaders displaying vulnerability. Leaders who share personal challenges and shortcomings with their colleagues leave themselves room for growth and create space for others to fill in gaps. Exposing vulnerability also builds employee loyalty as people feel more connected to individuals they believe they “know.” For many leaders, then, vulnerability is a superpower that can lead to greater employee engagement and collaboration (Murphy, 2019). One thing that is rarely talked about, however, is that sharing these same vulnerabilities that bring value can also present risk for leaders from disadvantaged populations, such as women and people of color.

We know, for example, that there are “shifting standards” for individuals based on historical stereotypes. It takes less evidence for most people to “determine” that a Black man vs. a white man is aggressive, for example, based on stereotypes (Biernat & Manis, 1994). A Black male leader, therefore, may risk more by exposing vulnerability in a story about frustration. Similarly, when male leaders make a mistake, they are seen as unlucky (Swim et al., 2016). When female leaders make the same mistake, their leadership and competence are called into question (Brescoll et al., 2010). Indeed, leaders from historically disadvantaged populations bear a greater risk of reprisals when they falter, speak up, or buck the status quo (Rudman & Phelan, 2008).

Leaders from disadvantaged populations are also still largely underrepresented in many companies. As a result, these leaders may feel compelled to succeed as the sole representative of their population. There is also greater pressure to assimilate for the minority group than the majority group. Exposing a difference in preference for a majority group leader may elevate them in the eyes of their colleagues, but the same difference may serve to deepen the notion that a leader of color, for example, is “other.”

None of this is to say that leaders from disadvantaged populations cannot or should not demonstrate vulnerability. Instead, people in these groups may have to devote more energy and resources toward determining where and what to share. With that said, in an increasingly diverse workforce, these leaders also have a unique opportunity to role model vulnerability and show its value to those who do not often see themselves reflected in leadership.

There is no doubt that strategic vulnerability can be an asset, and it is to the benefit of organizations for all employees to feel they can contribute freely. In fact, an organization’s employee diversity enhances financial performance because of this confluence of diverse thought (McKinsey, 2020). Yet it is the organization’s responsibility to uplift those in the minority and to build and reward inclusion. By equipping all employees to support a culture of equity and inclusion, organizations create space where employees share their true selves, and thus make their most impactful contributions.

References

Brescoll, V. L., Dawson, E., & Uhlmann, E. L. (2010). Hard won and easily lost: The fragile status of leaders in gender-stereotype-incongruent occupations. Psychological Science.

Dixon-Fyle, S., Dolan, K., Hunt, D., & Prince, S. (2020). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. Mckinsey & Company.

Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological review.

Murphy, M. (2019). “This Study Shows The Huge Benefits When Leaders Are Vulnerable.” Forbes.

Rudman, L. A., & Phelan, J. E. (2008). Backlash effects for disconfirming gender stereotypes in organizations. Research in organizational behavior.

Swim, J. K., & Sanna, L. J. (1996). He’s skilled, she’s lucky: A meta-analysis of observers’ attributions for women’s and men’s successes and failures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.