Leadership With Vulnerability and Thanksgivingنموونە

Day Two: Vulnerable Leadership

Yesterday I introduced you to Lynsi Snyder, the CEO of the legendary hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger.

Now, to know Lynsi is to know she leads with vulnerability—and at the same time, she’s a truth-teller. I noticed this the first time I met her. Within ten minutes of sitting down together, I found myself confiding a dark episode from my teen years that I don’t usually share with others. The reason was Lynsi’s own transparency. Despite her position, and despite not knowing me well, she was willing to be completely honest with me.

That demonstrates that vulnerability inspires vulnerability. It’s risky, yes, but more often than not it leads us into more authentic relationships—and that’s just as true at the corporate level as it is at the personal level.

This is actually one of the reasons In-N-Out Burger is so highly rated. Lynsi is willing to admit when she doesn’t have it all figured out. Being teachable helps her grow, and her growth as a leader helps everyone in her organization. Lynsi shared with me that leaning on others means you don’t have to carry the entire burden yourself. That might sound like a cop-out, but it’s the opposite: it builds trust and community so that problems are overcome more easily and successes can be shared.

“I think that's very important for leaders to not be isolated,” Lynsi says, and that starts with vulnerability and humility. Those qualities are constantly breaking down isolation. And in a wider business context, telling the truth in humility improves corporate culture. The more isolated a leader becomes, the more likely she is to make decisions based on assumptions—and you know the saying about what an assumption makes! Instead, generosity of thought leads to better (and usually more profitable) outcomes.

I love one of the things Lynsi told me in our interview. “If the goal is love and you want to love everyone, you don’t want to turn someone away if God doesn’t want you to turn someone away.”

Isn’t that powerful? As leaders, let’s celebrate and model vulnerability, even as we tell the truth with humility and grace. If we do, we just might find our relationships with others growing deeper and more authentic than ever—and chances are that’s right where God wants us to be.

To Consider

Are you willing to be vulnerable with your coworkers? Why or why not?

Think of a time when someone was vulnerable with you. What did that moment teach you?

To Pray

God, Jesus became ultimately vulnerable when he came to earth, for our sakes. Help me be willing to be vulnerable, for the sake of others. Amen.