The Role of Vulnerability in Leadership: A study to understand how vulnerability contributes to personal, professional, and organizational success

Abstract

Vulnerability is typically defined as oversharing, being emotional and sensitive, and is generally viewed as a weakness and a risk in business. The purpose of this study was to understand the role vulnerability plays in leadership and the impact it has. In order to answer the research question, the researcher conducted interviews, with technology industry leaders to understand how vulnerability is defined as it relates to leadership and whether technology industry leaders value vulnerability as a fundamental leadership trait. Results of the data collection indicated that vulnerability is generally viewed as an asset in a leadership profile. Conclusions from the brief Literature Review, and the results of the subjects’ responses indicated that vulnerability is not only the prerequisite for courage, innovation, and trust but also has far reaching implications in employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention. Based on the project conclusions and the researcher’s professional knowledge, the researcher recommends that business leaders invest in educating their leaders through interactive courses and workshops that focus on defining vulnerability and how it is demonstrated in the workplace, the benefits of displaying vulnerability in the workplace, and overall dispelling myths about vulnerability that are counterproductive to the goals of most businesses.

Introduction

“The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.”

Brené Brown, Dare to Lead

 Introduction Statement

Vulnerability is typically defined as oversharing, being emotional and sensitive, and is generally viewed as a weakness and a risk in business. Vulnerability is not considered a valuable leadership trait. Instead, it is viewed as a liability. Leaders are generally not encouraged to embrace vulnerability, but businesses must acknowledge vulnerability as a leadership trait and shift their mindsets in order to be successful in this changing culture.

The study will benefit business by understanding the link between vulnerability and leadership. This information will help organizations to recruit and develop better leaders. This will lead to a positive impact on performance management, employee morale, motivation, and retention, which ultimately contributes to cost savings.

The researcher had a professional and personal interest in this topic because they have seen firsthand how aspects of vulnerability are hallmarks of true leadership. Leaders who do not embrace vulnerability will experience decreased morale, motivation, and attrition, all of which impact the bottom line. Additionally, leaders who do not embrace vulnerability as a critical leadership trait, or even push back against vulnerability, cannot successfully connect with their teams or foster cultures that support risk taking and drive innovation. They will use this study to establish a culture that encourages vulnerability and positively impact business success.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to understand the role vulnerability plays in leadership and the impact it has on business. The researcher wanted to better understand how vulnerability impacts personal, professional, and organizational success. The researcher also wanted to know how technology industry leaders define vulnerability, and how they view vulnerability as it relates to leadership.

Research Problem

Without vulnerability, there is no bravery, innovation, creativity, or risk taking. Additionally, if you do not embrace vulnerability, there is limited human connectedness.  All of these things will ultimately hinder businesses as these are critical drivers of success.

Vulnerability is an asset and a crucial leadership trait. This will improve business success by helping leaders to have better performance conversations, connect with their teams, and establish a space and culture of risk taking. By doing this, employee morale, motivation, productivity, and retention will improve which directly correlates to cost savings.

Research Question

“What Role Does Vulnerability Play in Leadership?” A study to understand how vulnerability leads to personal, professional, and organizational success.

Methodology Description

In order to answer the research question, the researcher conducted interviews with technology industry leaders as the data collection method. The researcher sought the insight and counsel of technology industry leaders to better understand how vulnerability is defined as it relates to leadership. The researcher also sought to learn whether technology industry leaders value vulnerability as a fundamental leadership trait.

Summary of Overall Project

Conclusions from the brief Literature Review, and the results of the subjects’ responses indicated that vulnerability is not only the prerequisite for courage, innovation, and trust but also has far reaching implications in employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention. Vulnerability is a critical leadership skill, something that can be learned, developed, and practiced over time.

To enhance future studies, the researcher recommends a larger sample size that incorporates several different industries, instead of a focus only on subjects in the tech industry. The researcher also recommends a more in-depth review of Literature that focuses on the impact of vulnerability on the productivity of teams, innovation, and other business drivers. Based on the project conclusions and the researcher’s professional industry knowledge, the researcher recommends that business leaders become more familiar with vulnerability and the impacts it has on teams, innovation, and overall business success. The researcher recommends that businesses invest in educating their leaders through interactive courses and workshops that focus on what vulnerability is and how it plays out in the workplace, the benefits of displaying vulnerability in the workplace, and overall dispelling myths about vulnerability that are counterproductive to the goals of most businesses.

 Literature Review

Introduction Statement

In order to answer the research question, the Literature Review focused on the major theme of The Ways that Vulnerability Builds Connection and Trust in Teams, and in particular the topics of creating a culture of honest feedback.

The Ways that Vulnerability Builds Connection and Trust in Teams

In Dr. Brené Brown’s 2018 book, “Dare to Lead”, the author defined vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure” (p. 19). Brown emphasized that vulnerability should not be viewed as a weakness, but rather as a key component in courageous behavior and a necessity in leadership. Vulnerability cannot be cultivated if it is not ingrained into the culture of an organization and displayed in the actions and words of leadership. An organization without vulnerability cannot stay nimble and innovative, critical factors in today’s competitive business climate.

Brown (2018) asserted that vulnerability is the prerequisite to trust and suggests seven elements of vulnerability that build trust in relationships. First, she recommended setting boundaries, asking for clarity around unclear boundaries, and saying no when needed. Second, she recommended being reliable which involves awareness of limitations and delivering on promises. Third, she recommended being accountable by owning mistakes and properly following up on them by apologizing and rectifying the situation. Fourth, she introduced the idea of keeping confidences. Fifth, she spoke to the role of integrity in vulnerability which is displayed by acting within one’s values and embracing courage over comfort. Sixth, Brown recommended acting and speaking without judgment. Seventh, she spoke to generosity in how people interpret others’ actions, words, and intentions. All of these practices are examples of how vulnerability plays out in the workplace in regard to building and maintaining positive relationships.

Brown (2018) spoke specifically to the role of vulnerability in feedback. Her main argument was that providing unclear feedback is unkind and that it is better to give clear, actionable, and specific feedback. She stated that both giving and receiving feedback take vulnerability. Tough conversations, a necessity for progress and upward movement in business, result in change and opportunities for changed behaviors.

Feeding people half-truths…to make them feel better (which is almost always about making ourselves feel more comfortable) is unkind. Not getting clear with a colleague about your expectations because it feels too hard, yet holding them accountable or blaming them for not delivering is unkind. Talking about people rather than to them is unkind (Brown, 2018, p. 48).

Brown (2018) noted one of the prerequisites for displaying vulnerability in the workplace and in life is identifying and living in alignment with a few core values. She recommended that everyone should pare down their values to two key values that are driving factors in their life. People, and especially leaders, can rely on their core values to lead them through tough conversations and other opportunities for vulnerability.

Finally, Brown (2018) asserted that vulnerability cannot and should not be reserved only for leaders, but rather should be encouraged for all people within an organization. Vulnerability practices, such as touch and honest feedback conversations, should be addressed, encouraged, and practiced in all levels of an organization, and not just in a reactionary way, but as a predictive measure to prepare for failure, risk taking, and resilience. Likewise, a culture of trust cannot be built if vulnerability is not embraced by the different levels of an organization. Human connection is a result of trust and trust is a natural result of vulnerability. It is important to note that oftentimes employees gauge leadership’s comfort and acceptance of vulnerability and use that as the level in which to base their vulnerability practice on. Therefore, vulnerability as a leadership skill is critical.

Similarly, in Mark Murphy’s 2019 article, “This Study Shows The Huge Benefits When Leaders Are Vulnerable”, the author summarized the findings from his study “The Risks of Ignoring Employee Feedback” which sought to identify the role of honesty from leadership around company successes and challenges, feedback from employees, and their effect on employees’ engagement (p. 1). Murphy’s (2019) study consisted of asking over 27,000 people to rate the statement, “This organization openly shares the challenges facing it” (p. 1). The results of this study were that 21% of people said their organization never openly shares its challenges, 21% said the company rarely openly shares its challenges, and 15% said their organization always openly shares its challenges (Murphy, 2019).

Then, Murphy (2019) asked the same sample whether they would recommend their company as a great organization to work for. The results were that 63% of employees who think their organization always openly shares the challenges facing it strongly recommend it as a great organization to work for, and 6% of employees who think their organization never openly shares the challenges facing it will strongly recommend it as a great organization to work for. Murphy (2019) concluded that, “if an employee believes their company openly shares the challenges facing it, that employee is about 10 times more likely to recommend it as a great employer” (p. 1).

Murphy (2019) noted that there is a strong correlation between leaders who are open in the challenges they and the organization face, employee satisfaction, and their net promoter score. In the article, Murphy (2019) defined vulnerability as being candid with employees in the face of challenges. Interestingly, he stated that vulnerability amongst executives is easier than between executives and employees due to the availability of information that is shared. For instance, he claimed that it takes greater vulnerability to share challenges to employees or an entire organization when this is new information, rather than sharing with those who already have access to that information (Murphy, 2019).

Murphy (2019) suggested engaging with employees in an honest discussion about company performance and any challenges the company is facing. By openly communicating about the challenges the organization is facing, leaders show vulnerability. This display of vulnerability builds trust between leaders and employees. The author argued that vulnerability should be viewed as an asset, especially to those in leadership positions. Ultimately, vulnerability has major implications in trust, employee engagement, and employee satisfaction (Murphy, 2019).

Critiques of The Ways that Vulnerability Builds Connection and Trust in Teams

Journal Articles

In Dr. Brené Brown’s 2018 book, “Dare to Lead”, the author explored different myths about vulnerability, specifically in the workplace but did not address how vulnerability is viewed and demonstrated based on gender. Understanding existing stereotypes and double standards for leadership traits is important in effectively putting together an overall leadership strategy. Although Brown’s book argued that everyone benefits from displaying and embracing vulnerability, it would certainly be interesting to note the role gender plays. This understanding would also be a critical skill in a leader’s profile.

Similarly, in Mark Murphy’s 2019 article, “This Study Shows The Huge Benefits When Leaders Are Vulnerable”, the author discussed the benefits of demonstrating vulnerability to drive employee engagement, however, Murphy did not discuss other aspects of employee satisfaction. The study could have been expanded to encompass aspects of employee satisfaction such as communication, development, and retention. To do this, the study could have asked about feedback loops, development, and if leadership and their engagement is a factor in staying versus leaving the organization. This would have provided a more robust look into how vulnerability affects employees.

Conclusion Statement

From this brief Literature Review the researcher learned that vulnerability is indeed an important factor for organizations, and especially for leaders. Vulnerability is found in courageous behavior, embracing the discomfort in risk taking and tough conversations, and in open and honest interactions between leaders and followers. Vulnerability not only improves a leader’s skillset but also engagement, employee satisfaction, and organizations’ net promoter scores.

Methodology

Introduction Statement

In order to answer the research question, the researcher conducted structured interviews with technology industry leaders as the data collection method. Structured interviews are conducted when specific information is sought using pre-determined questions. After conducting the interviews, the information is then organized and the data reviewed (Sekaran and Bougie, 2016).

Subjects

The subjects for this study were identified from the researcher’s professional network. The subjects were selected because of their combined years of experience and industry expertise.

Subject 1 – Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at a company in the technology industry

Subject 2 – Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations at a company in the technology industry

Subject 3 – Vice President of Worldwide Readiness, Assessment, Certification, and Enablement at a company in the technology industry

Subject 4 – Vice President and Worldwide Channel Chief at a company in the technology industry

Subject 5 – Senior Director of Partner Enablement at a company in the technology industry

Instrument

The researcher sought the insight and counsel of technology industry leaders to better understand how vulnerability is defined as it relates to leadership. The researcher also sought to understand whether technology industry leaders value vulnerability as a fundamental leadership trait. Finally, the researcher sought to find out if the subjects from the interviews shared the beliefs around vulnerability that were highlighted in the journal articles from the brief Literature Review.

 Question 1 – How do you define vulnerability, specifically as it relates to leadership?

Question 2 – Do you believe vulnerability is a necessary leadership trait? Why or why not?

Question 3 – Research Professor Dr. Brené Brown asserts that, “Truly daring leaders are prepared to be vulnerable and listen without interrupting. They have empathy, connecting to emotions that underpin an experience, not just to the experience itself. They have self-awareness and self-love, because who we are is how we lead” (Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. New York: Random House). How would you respond to that? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Question 4 – What is the business impact of creating a culture of vulnerability by emphasizing this leadership trait within your organization?

Question 5 – How do you foster a culture that supports your company’s core values and leadership code? Does vulnerability play a part in that?

Procedure

All interviews were conducted with video conferencing software as the subjects reside in different locations. The interviews were recorded, notes were taken, and responses were paraphrased in the Results Section.

Conclusion Statement

The results of the data collection will be tabulated in the Results Section of this project.

Results

Introduction Statement

The following is a tabulation of the results of the data collection.

Instrument Results

The following is a simple tabulation and a paraphrase of the subjects’ responses to the instrument questions.

Question 1 – How do you define vulnerability, specifically as it relates to leadership?

Subject 1 – Vulnerability means knowing your weaknesses and sensitivities and not being afraid to take action to improve upon them. That also means taking a look at the people and teams you surround yourself with to help identify your blind spots. Vulnerability means asking those around you to give you candid feedback on areas of improvement.

Subject 2 – Vulnerability is all about respect, patience, being real, connecting with your team, being aware, and being authentic in your emotions. Vulnerability is part of emotional intelligence.

Subject 3 – Allowing others to see where you have fallen short with specific examples in business or admitting when you are wrong. Leaders want to be all knowing and that’s just not possible. Being vulnerable is saying “I was wrong” or “I don’t know”. Vulnerability is representing these things to your team.

Subject 4 –Showing vulnerability is showing your humanness and displaying a willingness to listen and learn. Additionally, demonstrating vulnerability within leadership is being a learner, not a know it all.

Subject 5 – Vulnerability is all about the human element, being natural and being yourself. It also means showing up in times of difficulty.

Question 2 – Do you believe vulnerability is a necessary leadership trait? Why or why not?

Subject 1 – Absolutely, vulnerability is a necessary leadership trait because people only follow people they know and trust. You do not have to have all the answers, and you should not pretend to, because that comes across as inauthentic. People like to follow people they view as authentic and trustworthy. Also, you cannot have great leaders without great followers, so leaders need to be really open with their teams. Vulnerability is a way of showing you are a learner, you care, and you are all on the same journey. This brings teams together.

Subject 2 – Vulnerability is a good thing, but you have to be strategic in when you are vulnerable. Everyone around you has agendas and you cannot be vulnerable one hundred percent of the time because not everyone around you is vulnerable. So, you have to be aware of external dimensions such as audience and situation. I believe you need three things to be successful: IQ, EQ, and execution and vulnerability really plays into EQ.

Subject 3 – Vulnerability is an essential leadership trip because it plays into authenticity. For someone to follow you, they need to believe in you and trust you. If you’re not authentic, followers won’t trust you which creates a tax on the business in terms of productivity, speed, and learning.

Subject 4 – Vulnerability is part of the makeup of the leadership profile. You show vulnerability to show your team that you’re human and that it’s ok to make a mistake. You have to manage vulnerability in terms of course correcting and using learning moments to acknowledge what was learned and how everybody including yourself evolves. Vulnerability ultimately builds trust. However, vulnerability is a situational leadership trait. You have to be careful not to over demonstrate vulnerability because people judge and if you display vulnerability too much, then it can be perceived as a weakness.

Subject 5 – Vulnerability is related to emotional intelligence which is a key leadership skill. Relationships only come from building trust and trust comes from being open and genuine. Emotional intelligence allows you to relate whatever vulnerability means to an individual in a scenario

Question 3 – Research Professor Dr. Brené Brown asserts that, “Truly daring leaders are prepared to be vulnerable and listen without interrupting. They have empathy, connecting to emotions that underpin an experience, not just to the experience itself. They have self-awareness and self-love, because who we are is how we lead” (Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. New York: Random House). How would you respond to that? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Subject 1 – Dr. Brown is paving the way. This is where we need to go as human beings: the journey towards self-compassion which opens up the doors for vulnerability. It really comes down to connection. Successful leaders do this greatly and broadly.

Subject 2 – It’s important to display vulnerability as a leader because it speaks to how we connect with people. We need to be there for our teams and connect to them through their emotions and experiences. Sometimes they just need someone to listen, sometimes they need advice or coaching, and sometimes they need to hear that you understand what they’re going through. As part of those conversations, there are opportunities to listen and to be vulnerable and share experiences that can improve relationships.

Subject 3 – I agree with this sentiment because it speaks to the principle of seek first to understand. When someone is talking, you have to understand and empathize with what they’re saying and hear them completely. This is part of being authentic. Some of the reasons this doesn’t happen in business is because we’re busy which is why we miss those underpinning emotions. Another reason is because leaders want to solve problems. You have to listen and understand what the person is looking for, whether that is action, advice, or just a listening ear. A third reason is because these types of situations make some leaders very uncomfortable. The traits described in this quote are not often the traits of someone charging to the top of the hill.

Subject 4 – This is all about being authentic. Authenticity is one way that vulnerability is played out. When you are authentic people can see when you’re humble, when you’re vulnerable, when you’re confident.

Subject 5 – I agree with this comment. Empathy is a key factor, and emotional intelligence and self-awareness allow you to evaluate other people’s emotions and experiences which leads to connection. Vulnerability is about trust. It defines how you lead and how you can extract the best from your team.  

Question 4 – In your opinion, what is the business impact of creating a culture of vulnerability by emphasizing this leadership trait within your organization?

Subject 1 – People want to be seen, heard, and add value. Without vulnerability, we will not be able to disrupt the set ways which typically limit the possibilities. In the past, vulnerability simply was not how you played the game. You had to be contained and compartmentalized which really limited team connection, innovation, and business success overall.

Subject 2 – Vulnerability impacts many key performance indicators and metrics such as retention, productivity, growing the top line of a company, diversity and inclusion, etc.

Subject 3 – It all boils down to trust. Authenticity comes from being vulnerable and letting your true self come out, which leads to trust. From a business perspective, trust contributes to improved performance, better teams, and increased speed of innovation. Vulnerability is a business multiplier.

Subject 4 – Creating a culture of trust leads to creating a culture of vulnerability. You can’t create a culture of vulnerability if there is no trust.

Subject 5 – Vulnerability drives understanding across teams and helps build teams. If people aren’t comfortable being vulnerable in a team, you lose so much potential for creativity.

 Question 5 – How do you foster a culture that supports your company’s core values and leadership code? Does vulnerability play a part in that?

Subject 1 – Did not respond to the question.

Subject 2 – Vulnerability absolutely plays a part. Vulnerability needs to be foundational to a company’s values. When you think of our values of passion, community, and execution, vulnerability is a common thread. To foster that culture, you have to recognize and reward vulnerability. It takes courage to lead from the front, which is very complementary to vulnerability.

Subject 3 – The entire leadership code of mind, body, and soul drives our values including innovation. Vulnerability is key. Mind, body, and soul make up what you bring to work. Without vulnerability, we won’t be able to drive innovation because we are constricting people’s ideas, the speed at which they work, and their willingness to take risks, which are all crucial to innovation. In practice, vulnerability can’t be forced and must be natural to that person. I would encourage my organization to engage in feedback conversations by listening without commenting or defending your actions, motives, etc.

Subject 4 – Many aspects of our Leadership Code and values have components of vulnerability like passion and community.

Subject 5 – Did not respond to the question.

Conclusion Statement

The results will be analyzed in the Conclusion Section of this project.

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

Summary of Data Collection

The researcher felt the data collection was successful because the subjects provided insight into whether or not they felt vulnerability is a necessary leadership trait. They provided examples based on their experiences with vulnerability and leadership. The quality of the questions allowed for the subjects to provide quality responses and examples that prompted productive and insightful conversations with the researcher. The subjects were engaged in the interviews and were happy to answer the questions with examples of how vulnerability is demonstrated in the workplace, specifically within the tech industry.

Conclusions from the Data Results

The following conclusions are based on the responses of the subjects to the instrument questions. The conclusions are also a based on a combination of the instrument results as compared to the brief Literature Review. Finally, the conclusions are a comparison of the instrument results with the brief Literature Review and incorporate the researcher’s professional industry knowledge.

Question 1 – How do you define vulnerability, specifically as it relates to leadership?

The definition of vulnerability as described by the subjects included awareness around weaknesses and blind spots, committing to learning over knowing, admitting to mistakes, embracing candid feedback conversations from both sides of the table, and connecting with others. They agreed that vulnerability is an element of emotional intelligence and a factor of the human experience. The subjects’ definitions aligned to the researcher’s definition and the research problem.

Question 2 – Do you believe vulnerability is a necessary leadership trait? Why or why not?

All subjects interviewed agreed that vulnerability is a necessary leadership trait but differed in when and how vulnerability should be displayed. A few of the subjects operated under the assumption that vulnerability, although a positive leadership trait, can still be seen as a weakness and should be used strategically so as to not appear weak depending on the situation and the audience. An underlying theme that emerged with this question is the idea of emotional intelligence and how vulnerability is tied to that. Ultimately, the leaders asserted that emotional intelligence allows for proper assessment of the situation to determine if it is appropriate to demonstrate vulnerability.

Question 3 – Research Professor Dr. Brené Brown asserts that, “Truly daring leaders are prepared to be vulnerable and listen without interrupting. They have empathy, connecting to emotions that underpin an experience, not just to the experience itself. They have self-awareness and self-love, because who we are is how we lead” (Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. New York: Random House). How would you respond to that? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

All subjects agreed with the message behind this quote from Dr. Brown and that vulnerability is the key way to connect to their teams. The subject of authenticity appeared in a few of the responses from the subjects in relation to vulnerability. Authentic connection is a result of vulnerability and empathy. The researcher has seen firsthand the impact of leaders who take an empathetic approach which requires vulnerability versus leaders who try to force inauthentic connections without displaying vulnerability.

Question 4 – What is the business impact of creating a culture of vulnerability by emphasizing this leadership trait within your organization?

The subjects all asserted that vulnerability is a factor in many key performance indicators of an organization. Vulnerability not only impacts the bottom line but also the people in an organization. It is the driver for building teams, creativity and innovation, trust, diversity and inclusion, employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention, and ultimately overall business success.

Question 5 – How do you foster a culture that supports your company’s core values and leadership code? Does vulnerability play a part in that?

Over the past several years, there has been a major shift away from segmentation of home versus work and people are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work, which requires vulnerability and relates to the human connection. Fostering a culture of vulnerability supports this transition. Additionally, the subjects agreed that vulnerability is a key aspect in fostering a culture that supports their company’s core values and leadership code. Not only do leaders need to demonstrate vulnerability, but they need to recognize and reward vulnerability within the organization in order to emphasize its importance. In order to foster a culture of vulnerability, leaders need to encourage employees to engage in honest feedback conversations, openly discuss challenges, and highlight the importance of risk taking and resilience, which lead to innovation. This aligns with Dr. Brown’s theory of “integrity – choosing courage over comfort; it’s choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast, or easy; and it’s practicing your values, not just professing them” (Brown, 2018, p. 189). Vulnerability is not easy but has far and wide implication on people, both personally and professionally, and on the success of organizations.

Recommendations

To enhance future studies, the researcher recommends a larger sample size that incorporates several different industries, instead of a focus only on subjects in the tech industry. Additionally, the researcher recommends interviewing subjects in different levels of management, instead of focusing on those in executive positions. The researcher also recommends a more in-depth review of Literature that focuses on the impact of vulnerability on the productivity of teams, innovation, and other business drivers.

Based on the project conclusions and the researcher’s professional industry knowledge, the researcher recommends that business leaders become more familiar with vulnerability and the impacts it has on teams, innovation, and overall business success. The researcher recommends that businesses invest in educating their leaders through interactive courses and workshops. Topics could include the definition of vulnerability and how it affects the workplace, the benefits of displaying vulnerability in the workplace, and overall dispelling myths about vulnerability that are counterproductive to the goals of most businesses.

 References

Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. New York: Random House.

Murphy, M. (2019, April 21). This Study Shows The Huge Benefits When Leaders Are Vulnerable. Retrieved February 6, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2019/04/21/this-study-shows-the-huge-benefits-when-leaders-are-vulnerable/#3567a8fb33ae

Sekaran, U. & Bougie, R (2016). Research methods for business: a skill building approach, 7th Edition. New York, NY. (111-123)

Biography of the Author

Lindsay Ward has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Operations Management from the University of Colorado Boulder. Lindsay is a successful program manager who has spent over seven years in the high-tech industry in various roles including technical and sales enablement, most recently at VMware. She serves as the co-lead for VMware’s Colorado Giving Network and also on the steering committee for the mentorship program, part of the Women@VMware Power of Difference employee resource group. Lindsay earned a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is in the process of obtaining a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership.

 In her free time, Lindsay volunteers with Junior Achievement, teaching Business classes in local high schools, and serves on the Board for the Forever Buffs Young Alumni Association. Lindsay also enjoys baking, practicing ballet, cycling, and crocheting as well as spending time with her husband, Bryan, and their two cats, Ralphie and Buffie.