What if the fastest way to build trust isn't showing your success, but sharing your stumbles?

We often think leading means being perfect. We look for the right answers when we should be looking for space to learn.

Recently, I co-facilitated a manager onboarding program at Google in Singapore. Looking at this group of new managers, I saw a mirror of my past self. It took me straight back to my own early days—and many times I failed completely.

Instead of acting like I had it all figured out, I shared my messy stories.

The room changed instantly. When a leader says, "I don't know it all," the pressure melts. The walls come down. You create a safe soil where others feel permitted to try, fall, and stretch.

When you change how you show up, you change what is possible for everyone else. Your growth evokes growth in others. When we own our mistakes, we give your entire team the green light to learn without fear. Perfect success doesn't build safety; vulnerability does. 

Seeing myself in these new leaders keeps me humble enough to keep experimenting in my work and my life.

I am incredibly grateful to the new managers in the room. You taught me how to stay open, and you reminded me that we never stop growing.

Don't hide your stumbles. Share them.

When you dare to be human, you give everyone around you permission to grow.