The word “vulnerability” makes some leaders uncomfortable.
I understand that. In a lot of organizational cultures, showing uncertainty or admitting you don’t know something is read as weakness. Leaders are supposed to have the answers. They’re supposed to project confidence.
But that instinct — to always appear certain, always appear in control — is exactly what erodes psychological safety on teams.
What Interpersonal Risk-Taking Actually Means
Interpersonal risk-taking is the willingness to do things at work that could result in negative social consequences: disagreeing with someone more senior, admitting a mistake, sharing an unpopular opinion, asking a “stupid” question, or trying something new that might not work.
These behaviors require a belief that the social cost will be tolerable — that you won’t be humiliated, dismissed, or punished for being honest.
In teams with low psychological safety, people systematically avoid these behaviors. They agree when they disagree. They hide uncertainty. They don’t ask for help. They don’t challenge bad ideas. And over time, those individual choices add up to a team that can’t really learn or improve.
Vulnerability as a Leadership Practice
Here’s what I’ve seen in organizations that build high levels of psychological safety: it almost always starts with a leader who models interpersonal risk-taking publicly.
They say “I don’t know” when they don’t know. They change their mind in front of their team and explain why. They share a recent failure and what they learned from it. They ask for feedback from their direct reports and actually use it.
These aren’t soft behaviors. They’re organizational acts that reshape what people believe is safe to do.
When a senior leader says “I got this wrong” and doesn’t collapse, people notice. When a manager says “I disagree with the direction we’re heading, and here’s why” in front of their team, and nothing bad happens to them, others start to believe they can do the same.
The Courage It Requires
Modeling interpersonal risk-taking isn’t always comfortable, even for leaders who understand its value. It requires a real tolerance for not being seen as the most informed person in the room.
But the payoff is significant. Teams that see their leaders take interpersonal risks become more willing to do the same. Over time, the team becomes the kind of place where honest, productive disagreement is the norm — where the best ideas surface because people aren’t holding them back. That’s a competitive advantage. Most organizations never build it.
Practical Starting Points
Share a recent mistake with your team. Be specific about what you learned. Invite challenge. Next time you’re in a meeting and someone disagrees with you, get curious before you get defensive. Ask a question you don’t know the answer to — in front of people.
None of this is complicated. All of it is harder than it sounds. But this is where psychological safety actually gets built — in small, visible, consistent acts of courage from the people with the most power in the room.