The Power of Vulnerability in Leadership Why Sharing Mistakes Gains Respect with Dr Shahana Alibhai

7 Apr 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:41

This content was created by Marc Haine. This content was uploaded by Marc Haine. This is a YouTube video titled "The Power of Vulnerability in Leadership Why Sharing Mistakes Gains Respect with Dr Shahana Alibhai" (created 2025-04-07T13:01:14Z). The excerpt is a spoken segment—likely by Dr. Shahana Alibhai—explaining the "pratfall effect": when a person perceived as competent shares a vulnerability, mistake, or challenge, others tend to like and respect them more. The speaker links this idea to leadership and boardroom culture, emphasizing the importance of psychological/cultural safety for admitting faults and building trust.

Chapters

But there's such thing as the pratfall effect. And if more of us understood it, it would really help us understand that the pratfall effect simply says, if I believe that you're competent and you share something that is vulnerable, a challenge, even a mistake that you've done, I like you more. I respect you more. And I think that is the biggest hypocrisy that leadership and those within the board often feel because it's that feeling of, Well, I can never admit anything. And it's that lack of cultural safety as well. So when we find out that people actually lean in when we're vulnerable and honest, if you are surrounded by the right people.