Leading with Authority and Vulnerability By Andrea Leigh Capuyan

Mastering an Intentional Balance of Authority and Vulnerability

Authority and vulnerability are essential for building an empowered and flourishing community. When authority and vulnerability are not properly employed, then relationships are defined by abuse and dysfunction.

God’s Mandate

Good leaders seek to create the best growth environment for the organization and all its people. Following God’s mandate for humanity in Genesis, our intention as leaders is to engage in meaningful work that is both fruitful for ourselves and others. This mandate is the leadership calling we are to steward.

Through a proper balance of authority and vulnerability, we shape a culture of abundance for those we lead. The tension between exercising leadership power and remaining humble enough to serve others finds clarity in Andy Crouch’s insightful work, Strong and Weak, where he examines how authority and vulnerability must coexist for true flourishing. Good leadership requires both.

Authority

Protection and guidance harness the goodness of power. Power’s strength is exercised through empowered relationships. When leaders share their power, it multiplies through others. Decision-making, setting boundaries, and evaluating risks require a strong sense of authority. Effective and fruitful authority invites other perspectives and voices when undertaking these activities. Shared, collaborative leadership helps mitigate self-centered attitudes. We must set aside any pursuit of accumulating personal power and instead foster what is good for others.

The impact of our authority can undermine our best intentions. The danger is that leaders can become perpetrators, mowing down everyone who defies them. We don’t like to imagine our actions as oppressive or violent, yet an inflated sense of ego causes harm. Unfettered authority exploits and abuses. That’s hard to hear – all is not lost – there is hope. Humility and vulnerability protect against dark ambitions.

Vulnerability

Brave leadership invites risk. Inviting others to know us deeply and truly is a risky step. Vulnerable leaders must be candid about their fears and flaws. A commitment to vulnerability requires being comfortable with being open and transparent with others. Humility acknowledges limitations and our need for help. Vulnerability strengthens communities by building interdependency.

Whenever we are overwhelmed and exposed, life becomes a daily grind in survival mode. And then life becomes a series of threats, and it becomes tempting to seek safety through isolation. Self-protecting strategies cut us off from others, a source of help.

Personal insights

I’ve learned that giving voice to my needs improved my relationships. Instead of becoming a burden or letting others down, I discovered the strength of love. There was a period when the demands of my personal life necessitated my absence from work. Circumstances required that I empower others to act and trust that others were competent. I could share my load with them.

I know that our ministry would thrive under their care. At the same time, I had to accept offers of kindness, help, and care. Through the experience, I realized that vulnerability doesn’t make us weak. It builds strength.

Invitation

Wisdom and courage are essential for achieving a proper balance of authority and vulnerability as leaders. The indwelling Holy Spirit desires to transform every selfish pursuit. The Spirit can reveal how we overcompensate, overachieve, and overprotect. We take over, rather than yield. Healing comes as we confess our allegiance to self-sufficiency and self-reliance.

Wisdom provides the discernment and insight to recognize destructive patterns and defensive motivations. Courage requires that we invite this kind of examination, and courage is necessary to move towards change. Authority and vulnerability thrive through our reliance on the Spirit’s work. Good leaders want to have a positive impact and influence. Seeking to balance authority and vulnerability in our leadership approach paves the way for abundance and the fullness of life intended for us.

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Andrea Leigh Capuyan serves on the board of the Center for Steward Leader Studies and is the executive director of the LPC. This local ministry helps individuals impacted by unintended pregnancy, reproductive loss, and post-abortion recovery. She also provides coaching and consultation, assisting others to experience abundance as leaders. Andrea is a Credentialed Christian Nonprofit Leader (CCNL) with the Christian Leadership Alliance and holds a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from York University.