People tend to fall into two camps when it comes to our feelings on vulnerability—you either think it’s unnecessary weakness and oversharing, or it’s everything to you and you’re constantly emotional purging—but both miss the point. Drawing from Dr. Jeff Polzer’s research at Harvard, I want to talk about what he calls the vulnerability loop: the small, human moments when one person signals “I don’t have it all together” and someone else responds in kind. Those tiny exchanges are what build trust, safety, and high performance in any team or relationship. Vulnerability isn’t just spilling your innermost thoughts; it’s about signaling honesty, courage, and openness, and modeling that for others. When we lead with small, authentic signals of being human, we create cultures where people can connect, learn, and perform at their best.

 

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