Leaders Have Weaknesses Too

If you are a leader & you don’t allow your weaknesses to 'show' it doesn’t mean they don’t exist & it doesn’t mean those you are leading don’t know they are there.

I recently heard a story where John Maxwell was sharing at a conference about being vulnerable & growing as a leader. He was teaching that it is important as a leader to keep open communication with your team, allow them to speak into your life, & be willing to allow them to share with you weaknesses they see in your life in order to help you grow. Some in the crowd loved it, others cringed.

After the conference, one who cringed came up to him and begrudgingly shared that as a leader you are only supposed to show your strengths. If not, people are going to know that you are weak, won’t follow you, & may take advantage of you. Maxwell loving looked at him and replied, “They already know your weaknesses, they see them everyday.”  

As a leader, you have weaknesses, no matter how much you try to cover them up. The question is not whether or not they exist, but are you intentional about being transparent with those you are leading & are you intentional about growing? Yes, you want to be strong as a leader. Yes, you need courage in the midst of fire. And, yes you need to be able to make decisions & move when nobody is willing. But, that does not mean you don’t have weakness.

Jeanne Mayo once said, “You lead in your strengths, but you connect in your weaknesses.” Too many are trying to only lead in their strengths & are alienating those who are following them because they are not willing to be vulnerable with those they are leading. If you want to grow as a leader you need to be willing to be vulnerable, be real about your weaknesses, & allow God to use those He has placed around you to speak into your life to help you grow.

Let’s Do This Together

As a leader have you established a safe, healthy, & open line a communication in which your team can speak freely, lovingly, & honestly with you? What weaknesses have you been trying to hide, but are probably visible to all who work with you?