Dear Leader: You don’t always need to know the answers!

This is for all the ambitious, perfectionist leaders out there.

I used to rather run out of a room than admit I didn't know something.

Now I look at vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness.

It took a lot of Self-Love practice, and it's still something I need to consciously think about. But I feel more empowered when I am vulnerable.

Let’s get into it!! And be sure to stick around for some leadership mantras at the end! ✨

If you get asked a question by someone on your team, it is 100% okay to not know the answer.

You are a human, not a robot, and there is no such thing as perfection.

This is a good opportunity to ask them what they think, and work through the problem together.

This way you are empowering them to problem solve, but you are also showing them how the work could be executed in alignment with the company's values and goals.

On the flip side, someone may look at a problem completely different than you, so it's nice to understand someone else's take on the situation.

Maybe they have a better way of doing it than you have thought of before.

And lastly, you are showing humanity and vulnerability, which is paramount (YES PARAMOUNT) to being a good leader.

When you can admit you don't know something, you are modeling to your team that it's okay if they don't know, but are open to discussing and problem solving together.

I have been in multiple work places where I never felt safe to admit I wasn't sure of the right answers. This stemmed from my own insecurities, stories I told myself, and perfectionism.

But also, I was micromanaged and disempowered by leadership to a point where I never trusted myself.

I was afraid to take action because I always thought I'd be "doing it wrong" or scared to tell my bosses if I messed up, so sometimes I would just ignore the problem until it built and built and ended up being a bigger problem than it needed to be.

Leaders, please please don't do this. Model kindness to yourself and to your team, by admitting you won't always know the answers.

And by empowering and trusting them to find out the answer themselves, as a team, or with you.

You never know the beauty that can come of it.

There is obviously a delicate balance to this as you don't want to create dependent employees.

However, you want to create a culture of discussion, trust and autonomy. After multiple scenarios of working through problems with your team, they hopefully should start understanding how it all works.

Be available to answer any and all questions, coach them through it, and cultivate confidence in them, and they will start believing in themselves.

Leadership starts with you. Show your team it's okay to not know. Empower them to work through it. Create a culture of trust.

How does this feel for you? Is this something you have mastered? Or do you want to pass out thinking about being vulnerable?

PS - I used to be the latter. I try to be vulnerable every day, but some days are harder than others. Start small, practice often and remember you are human.

Here are a few mantras to repeat if you are like my past self and are working on being vulnearble:

• I do not have to know all the answers

• I am safe being vulnerable

• I can be an impactful leader while still being vulnerable

• I choose to model acceptance, authenticity and integrity