How To Establish Vulnerability-based Trust Within Your Team?
The foundation of any well-functioning teams is trust. The concept of trust has many interpretations, but according to Patrick Lencioni, truly effective teams are built on vulnerability-based trust. This means that in the team:
- it is safe to say "I don't know"
- it is acceptable to say "I need help"
- it is possible to admit "I messed up"
- it is okay to apologise it is allowed to be weak, uncertain, human
- it is OK, to ask questions and challenge things showing and meaning curiousity and help, not suspicion
Vulnerability-based trust creates inner safety. When I sit down with a colleague, I trust that they will be honest with me, and I can be honest with them. I can openly say what I am good at and what I am not good at. I can openly share my opinion and ask questions.
This is the foundation of real engagement, learning and development.
❗When vulnerability-based trust is missing:
- everyone pretends to be "strong" and flawless
- mistakes are repeated or stay hidden, so learning slows down
- there is no psychological safety
- team energy is spent on self-protection instead of collaboration
- time is wasted
- performance, innovation and productivity decline
How can this be changed? The leaders go first. Always.
🎁 Solution-focused question and suggestions for organisations
❓ How can we make learning, making mistakes and asking for help legitimate and safe at a systemic level - not just in words, but in everyday operations?
💡Suggestion forirganizations:
1. Create legitimate learning spaces as part of the culture and the team routines
- Learning should not be an extra programme, it must be part of normal operations.
- Embed reflection into project and meeting rituals.
2. Use structured After-Action Reviews or Retrospectives, even regular meetings may include questions like:
- What were our SUCCESSES? What made it possible?
- What have we LEARNT?
- What can we do DIFFERENETLY next time?
- What ELSE can we do next time?
❗Ensure these sessions are clearly positioned as learning spaces, not performance reviews.
3. Normalise naming strengths, limits and learning opportunities together. Create space where people explicitly articulate both:
- What am I good at?
- What am I not good at (yet)?
- Where do I need to develop?
This can be part of role clarification sessions, team kick-offs, onboarding discussions as well.
4. Create safe spaces for asking for help: introduce explicit mechanisms for help-seeking, for example:
- "Help Requests" as a standing agenda item in team meetings, as an option
- Internal peer-support or mentoring
- Solution-focused group mentoring opportunities for knowledge sharing and learning.
5. Shift questioning from control to curiosity. Encourage leaders to ask:
"What are you working on right now?" ▪️"Where are you stuck?" ▪️"What support would help?"
Make it explicit: asking questions is not mistrust or micromanagement when done with curiosity.
6. Train leaders to be role models.
🎁 Solution-focused question and tips for leaders
❓ What do I do that makes it safe to be honest and vulnerable in my team?
💡 Practical tips for leaders
1. Publicly model vulnerability regularly and visibly:
Admit mistakes.
Name uncertainty, say first when you don't know something.
Ask for input or support openly.
This can be done in town halls, leadership meetings or internal communications. What leaders model becomes permission for everyone else.
2. Protect vulnerability from consequences, Make it explicit and be consistent:
Admissions of mistakes are not used later against people,
"I don't know" is not interpreted as incompetence,
Learning conversations are not retroactively turned into evaluations. Trust collapses the moment vulnerability has hidden costs.
Respond well to others' mistakes. Not "Who messed up?" but "What can we learn from this?"
Ask questions out of curiosity, not suspicion.
Do not stop asking questions out of fear of hurting people or appearing controlling. Trust does not mean silence.
3. Practice trust deliberately. It must be exercised. Make reflection, learning circles and rituals part of the meeting and collaboration culture.