What if admitting you don't have all the answers actually makes you a stronger leader?
Harvard Business Review found that 73% of employees trust leaders more when they admit uncertainty during a crisis. Join us as we sit down with 15-time bestselling author and founder Holly Porter, who turned two near-death experiences into powerful leadership lessons. After surviving a 70-day hospital stay during COVID, Holly discovered that authentic vulnerability builds stronger teams than fake confidence ever could.
The most dangerous myth in leadership is that you must have all the answers. When crisis hits—and it will hit—your team doesn't need a superhero. They need someone real enough to admit the problem exists and confident enough to lead them through it.
The Vulnerability Paradox
There's a fine line between vulnerability that motivates and vulnerability that creates fear. The key lies in being transparent about the problem without drowning your team in sticky details. You can say "I'm struggling today" without explaining how you drove past your own house because your brain fog made directions backward. Share enough to create connection, not enough to create panic.
The 72-Hour Rule
When everything's falling apart, your first instinct might be to react immediately. Don't. Give yourself 72 hours for major decisions, especially when emotions run high. This isn't about being slow—it's about being smart. Use this time to feel the feelings, talk to your personal board of directors, and then focus on solutions.
Crisis Prevention Through Systems
The best way to handle a crisis is never to have one. Create policies and procedures for everything. Document processes so thoroughly that if someone disappears tomorrow, their replacement can pick up immediately. This isn't just good business—it's crisis prevention.
External Communication Strategy
Your internal team needs to know more than the outside world. While transparency builds trust internally, external communication requires careful packaging. Know your audience, understand what they need to hear, and frame the narrative appropriately. Sometimes a crisis becomes an opportunity to lead important conversations.
Remember: vulnerability isn't weakness when it's strategic. It's the difference between a leader who pretends everything's fine while the ship sinks and one who rallies the crew to fix the leak together.
Watch the Full Episode on Leading Through a Crisis with expert Holly Porter below:
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