The Power of Vulnerability: Building Authentic Relationships in Academic Leadership

Megan Weiskopf​
Director of Teaching and Learning
Laurel School​

As we head into the new school year, the nexus between vulnerability and courage is very much on my mind–as a leader, as a teacher, as a mentor of students who are asked to inhabit that space all day long. 

In some ways, it’s a funny time to be thinking about this, because so much of the summer for Academic Leaders is spent shoring up systems and routines, and those are (generally) comforting things, more evocative of steadiness than insecurity. We finalize staffing models and schedules, check and double-check enrollment, confirm that learning spaces are ready to welcome students and teachers back to school. The work itself can be chaotic, even frenetic, as we iron out details and problem-solve around new and unexpected obstacles. Despite the variables that may confront us summer to summer, the tasks themselves remain familiar, even reassuring. And, as we complete each process, our faculty and staff are reassured; as we open school, our certainty reassures each student.

Yet vulnerability and courage are powerful touchstones for Academic Leaders now more than ever. No matter how accustomed we may be to the rhythms of the school year, each First Day of School has a shiny newness to it. Some of us may have new roles, and some of those new roles may be at new schools. All of us will welcome new colleagues, new students, and new families to the building. And we’ll all need to have the courage to recognize and embrace our own vulnerabilities if we’re going to successfully strike the right note of welcome and belonging that will usher our communities into a new school year. 

At the Association for Academic Leaders Forum this past summer, I found myself invited again and again to step into this brave space alongside people I had just met, some for the first time altogether, some for the first time in person. Being vulnerable with new friends took courage–and seeing their courage as they were vulnerable with me and each other gave me strength.

Whether swapping silly anecdotes table-wide at dinner or offering and receiving feedback on deeply personal vignettes one-on-one with a partner during the Moth workshop, I was reminded how powerful the storytelling impulse is, how much is gained for both the teller and the listener. When shared from a place of courageous vulnerability, personal narratives reveal what we value, how we hope to be seen and heard. When we make time and space for our colleagues and students to tell their stories, we give them the opportunity to reveal not just what they know but also who they are and build more welcoming, engaging, and vibrant learning communities.

I’m holding these ideas close as the new school year begins. It’s hard to be vulnerable as a leader. But if vulnerability is tempered with courage, if I share my stories and invite others to share their stories with me, I open the door to authentic relationships that make the school - and my leadership - better.