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In today’s episode, Steli and Hiten point out the importance of vulnerability in leadership, especially with startups. Now, more than ever before, vulnerability is an important part of building a company’s culture and is also the means to building trust in one’s leadership. Listen to how being vulnerable can show a leader’s honesty and authenticity. You’ll also find out what is equally important to being vulnerable—showing a commitment to NOT giving up. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – Vulnerability for those running startups is one of those important topics that entrepreneurs should talk about 01:07 – It is the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally 01:49 – It’s an interesting topic because in leadership, people want to communicate and display strength 03:14 – Back then, vulnerability in leadership was not even a topic 03:41 – Hiten believes that vulnerability is a huge part of leadership—now more than ever before 04:00 – Now, people want to understand how you feel 04:26 – Hiten was forced to understand this when their company faced a problem fundraising 05:10 – His vulnerability helped the whole team deal with it together 05:49 – Admitting faults is a strong level of vulnerability 06:08 – If you’re a leader, you own the problem – you’re accountable for it 06:41 – Vulnerability prevents rumors in a company 06:57 – Vulnerability points to authenticity and trust 07:53 – A leader should have a track record of being honest in communication so his team will spend less time trying to figure out what’s really going on 08:40 – Creating mistrust in your team will result to wasted energy 09:31 – “Vulnerability is a crucial part of honesty and trust in a company” 10:25 – Being vulnerable doesn’t mean being weak 11:24 – Don’t spill your emotions around 12:14 – Spilling emotions at other people causes pain 12:52 – “Vulnerability and being genuine are really related” 14:09 – Many people are just stuck 15:04 – Vulnerability can be a massive display of strength 15:35 – Vulnerability means showing people how hard it is WITHOUT giving up 17:05 – Show that the work is challenging, and, just like them, you also have weaknesses—but, show your team how you deal with those weaknesses 17:47 – Be honest! 19:11 – We’d love to hear your opinion on this topic! Email Steli or Hiten 3 Key Points: Vulnerability is allowing yourself to be in a position where you can be physically or emotionally attacked or harmed. Vulnerability plays a huge role in your authenticity and honesty as a leader. Show that you’re vulnerable, but also show that you’re never going to give up. Steli Efti: Hey everybody. This is Steli Efti. Hiten Shah: And this is Hiten Shah. Today, we're going to talk about vulnerability in startups, especially  when you're in a leadership role, or a founder role, or a manager role. This  is something where it's a topic, it's one of those kinds of Steli and I  like to just jump into. We jump into, actually, all the topics, but this one  especially. I think neither of us know where it's going to go. There's a motorcycle  driving by outside, and so I feel vulnerable because of that. Anyways, I think this  is an important topic. This is a very useful topic. Vulnerability is such a big  word. You know what I'm going to do, Steli. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Steli Efti: God damn it. I was just about to do it to beat you, but I  can't out-Hiten a Hiten, so I'll let you do it. Hiten Shah: "Vulnerability is the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked  or harmed either physically or emotionally." Wow. Steli Efti: Say that one more time.