Leadership Horizons

The Power of Vulnerability with Guest Speaker Daniel Taylor

• Lois Burton • Episode 41

Share episode

In this weeks episode we explore why selective vulnerability strengthens leadership and how trust turns honesty into performance. 

My guest this week is Daniel Taylor and he shares stories and tools leaders use to reduce isolation, build team confidence, and make better decisions in hybrid, high-change environments.

• coaching as a thinking space for complex challenges

• moving beyond hero myths to collaborative leadership

• trust first, then intentional vulnerability

• practical tips for feedback, strengths and delegation

• real examples of breakthrough moments in coaching

• group coaching to build interconnected senior teams

• tackling isolation, imposter syndrome and overprocessing

• clear communication to counter worst-case stories

• hybrid team rituals that sustain trust and clarity

• AI as an aid to more human leadership

For further information on Daniel check out his website:

DanielTaylorDevelopment.com 

He can also be found on LinkedIn as Daniel Taylor HR as well as on Instagram and Blue Sky… have a look for hashtag adventblogs on all the socials.

Thank you and see you next week.


Leadership Horizons - Helping You Lead Beyond Boundaries

SPEAKER_00:

Hello everyone and welcome back to Leadership Horizon. I'm Lois Burton, and today I am honoured to be joined by Daniel Taylor, who is a friend and a colleague, and who brings over two decades of experience in learning and development across many sectors. His career has taken him from higher education to manufacturing to travel and to the charity sector, where he's helped leaders and organisations unlock their full potential. Daniel has his own coaching business, and I will come to you at the end, Daniel, to make sure people know where to find you. The coaching business is called Daniel Taylor Development, and he's passionate about coaching and passionate about leadership, whether it's one-to-one, in groups, or with leadership teams, and believes in creating environments where people can thrive personally and professionally. His approach is collaborative and strength-based, focusing on what you do best to drive performance and positive change. Daniel's worked with businesses across the UK and Europe, designing tailored programs that empower people to achieve their ambitions and move forward in their careers. He's a qualified executive coach and a coach supervisor. And for Daniel, it's all about helping people to become the best version of themselves. And that's what he's here to share with us today. So, good morning, Daniel. It's lovely to see you.

SPEAKER_01:

It's lovely to see you and thanks for inviting me onto the podcast.

SPEAKER_00:

That's great, because I am very happy to have you here. So, um, what I'm what I'm gonna do, um, Daniel, is just now ask you to talk about what you've been observing recently as a leadership coach because we've had a number of conversations over the years about the importance of coaching for leaders, and our most recent conversation was around when and how leaders are able to be vulnerable and the power of selectively sharing vulnerability with their teams. This was the conversation that um sparked us to decide that, you know, I'd love to have you here on Leadership Horizons, because I think this is a really important area for my listeners, and it speaks to a number of conversations I've been having lately. I wonder if you kick off by telling us everyone about some of the things you are now observing as a leadership coach.

SPEAKER_01:

Some of the things I've seen, uh, particularly around leadership coaching, is um certainly one, it's the the how much people value that that time and space to be able to talk through um a challenge. Um, and we don't do that in business. You know, business and organizations are really fast-paced. This is a really challenging world that we we find ourselves in. Yeah, and just having that time out to go, I need to just focus either on me, my challenges, my uh future direction, the organization's direction, all of that um is so valuable. It's one of the reasons why I absolutely love uh leadership coaching and and development.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And in terms of those sort of themes that I'm seeing, it's um for me, um, I could probably summarize them as vulnerability and isolation, um, because it can be really isolating uh as that that senior, that person at you know the the top of the tree. Um that that whole sort of contact really is pretty outdated nowadays. But the those themes that I'm seeing are around um you know, imposter syndrome or um how people are not realizing their their full potential. It's why we we do need to talk more and connect and be able to actually uh discuss some of the these these challenges that we we face so we can break through them and be able to move forward and realise who we are and and be able to progress, both I both personally and professionally.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely absolutely. And um it's really interesting because um I was having you know a similar conversation in um in my current Leading with Resilience cohort when when we were talking about the fact that um that that leaders actually do feel vulnerable, but still that myth around that that they need to project this image of strength and that if they share their vulnerability, that um in some way that is going to um wobble their teams or make their teams feel unsure that they're able to cope and therefore would lose confidence in them. Do you have any do you have any kind of examples um and or tips for the leaders who are going to be listening today on how to first of all break down the idea that they have to be, you know, this this figure of strength all the time. And also what what's the appropriate way of sharing vulnerability where that still um enables teams to feel confident?

SPEAKER_01:

That's a really good question. I think the the first part I'm gonna say is we all have grown up in terms of having that sort of hero leadership explained to us and demonstrated through, you know, TV, movies, books, all of that. And you know, if you look at somebody like um Captain Kirk or Doctor Who, you know, in the world of sci-fi, it's that one person who makes all the decisions, and you can actually interestingly, you can see the the impact of having all you know made all of those decisions and how challenging it really is. And in reality, that's just sort of a you know a convenient character plot point. So it's just to help that through. It's not real life. And I think we we have to realise that at that we get so much more done working as a team and and working collaboratively. An interesting, again, sort of thinking of sort of pop culture. Um, and this probably gives an insight into I was watching last night, so um RuPaul's drag race, where you know she's making the ultimate decision, but she has a group of people around her, and they really do um share and really discuss what their their their challenges are, what what their vulnerabilities are, and it really does help them, and you do see them going through that that growth. And I think that's something we could all learn. You know, in terms of some top tips, for me, in terms of sharing vulnerability, is that all has to be backed up by trust. If I was to, if I was a new leader going in and just saying, right, this is what I find really difficult, and I haven't built up that trust with either my immediate team or the wider organisation, people are going to be a bit puzzled by that. So part of this is is is sharing it in in the right ways um and um connecting with people and making them understand what your concerns are, what your vulnerabilities are, what you may be not good at. My example has always been I'm not great at numbers. Um if I can work with somebody who is, we're gonna be a better team. We're gonna be a better organization if uh they can support me and guide me through the the areas that I'm not as confident in. And quite frankly, people will be able to see through that. If I didn't tell them that, they'll be able to see absolutely right through and go, yeah, he's just talking rubbish, you know, it just doesn't ring true. So the key part really is just stepping into that possibly uncomfortable zone, but explain, you know, and talking it through and building those connections with the team that will only ever build trust and and confidence in each other. And at the end of the day, we do this in our personal relationships. So the people that you love, you will share with them over a coffee or something strong, and you go, Oh, I'm having a really bad time because of this. This is what I'm really struggling with. And we will help each other. Well, our job shouldn't be any different to that. And if we're if we're presenting um almost like a fake face, people will see through that. Um, and you frankly, uh, from my view, I think you're just making life harder. And it's interesting. What I I went I used Copilot to to ask uh to summarize like the key values and and traits of val um organisations and businesses and the themes around integrity, honesty, um innovation, but teamwork and collaboration was really coming out loud and clear. Yeah, yeah. And I think that for me is really crucial that if we can work together, build that confidence, uh be as honest and open as you can, people will pick up on that. And it takes the pressure off you as the leader, and you can share that responsibility as uh a team, as an organization, as a business, and it's only ever gonna help.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I I completely agree with you, Daniel. Completely agree with you, and I think um, you know, I think it's it's really interesting. Um, you know, you mentioned you use co-pilot, you know, my best friend is Claude. And in this, in this world of AI, which is so, so helpful, what we're seeing is that actually AI can can then help us to become more human. And that's what people are craving, you know, they're craving that touch of humanity, and and I'm really seeing that um in the themes that are emerging in my in my leadership coaching, both with you know, the individual leaders and the teams that I'm working with, and that and the importance of that, as you say, that that shared responsibility. And I think the um I think the other thing, and and I don't know if you would agree with this, is that if the leader is able to share their vulnerabilities, then that gives the team permission to do the same. And and they then don't feel that they have to always project everything's you know totally perfect and totally fine, and I'm um and I don't need any help. So um I wonder I wonder if you've got any examples um of when you've worked with particular leaders and they have had breakthroughs through asking for help and and allowing their teams to do the same thing.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Um I'm gonna probably share one of your your competitor podcasts, I guess, but the uh SIM colour and diary of a CEO, that's where I'm gonna start with first. But that is somebody who absolutely shares their their vulnerabilities, both personally uh and in terms of an organization. And speakers that he's getting on is often talking about what their biggest challenges were, yeah, where their their issues and and and problems arise and and how they've sol uh solved that and worked uh collaboratively. For me personally, um in I work with people um from sort of future leaders, newly qualified managers right the way up through to CEOs and boards. I remember working with a recent leader, it was somebody who had gone through the um the various promotions and got to a particular role. And for them, they were really struggling because that they hadn't really had much development, but they'd been rewarded with um you know, a bigger and better team, um, more responsibilities. And for that particular individual, this was so um isolating. It this was actually was really difficult for them to navigate through because they had all these responsibilities that were being put on them, yet didn't necessarily have the the tools to navigate that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And they eventually reached out because they were at burning point, they you know, they were really struggling, and I worked with them to um almost do a bit of flexing around some coaching but also some development, that one-to-one development. And I have to say for them it really was transformational because they went from delivering using gut feelings or um I guess almost like emotion-led um leadership to really put understanding why they were approaching things in certain ways and using models and approaches, and for that you know, particular individual, there was a huge amount of growth and confidence building. And I think that that's what really stands out to me when whenever I've done uh coaching is the amount of times you see the light bulb. Um you can you know you'd be watching somebody either in person or on Zoom and the rides go up and you can literally see um the shoulders relax, the almost like a light bulb going off because they are realizing that you know there are these opportunities ahead of them by talking through their challenges and just having that that time and space to do so. And I I I've I've worked with a group of um directors uh of a European uh business, and I think the the benefits that they saw was an improved interconnectedness of them working together. And uh prior to that it'd been far more individual. So it was each one working, you know, their relevant skills and business areas. Yeah, actually, they are a team, and I think that is where leadership coaching and and group coaching, particularly, can benefit an organization when they can really work together and understand how they operate and and who they are. Um again, it's it's it's just transformational when people are getting on more and they can talk. Um the topic around sort of vulnerability, um, which means connects to the you know the work uh that Brenner Brown's done, but the if we look at say isolation and and vulnerability, yeah. If you're that one person at the top of the tree, that is really gonna impact your your mental health and your your confidence and imposter syndrome. And that for me has been a hugely recurring theme when you've got people who are excellent, who are great at what they they do, but they don't feel it, they don't see it. They, you know, they are second guessing themselves because they haven't had feedback or they are overprocessing some of the uh the decisions that they make. And you know, quite frankly, leaders have to make really difficult decisions each and every day, and that can be really challenging. Um, I'm thinking of one particular leader in my mind where she had worked for years and had got to a particular role that she was really, really happy with. Um, but by not being her true authentic self, by not talking through some of these challenges that she had, she wasn't able to really move forward. And that was then impacting her relationships within the organization, just was taking a step back and talking through why she felt that way, and very often it's deep-rooted, it it's it's come from so many years of of working in business, the self-doubt, the self-critique. Um, and when you start to layer on that um lived experiences and you know, pressures of society and ourselves on top of all of that, it really, really is is difficult. And I say that that's one of the true absolute joys of coaching somebody to see when they have stepped into that world and realizing the the impact, that negative impact on them and ultimately sometimes the the organization, and just by thinking of it in a different way and navigating a way forward is so transformational.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. One 100 100%. And um, you know, I I I often reference um, you know, I I go back to New Year of Um of 2021 when we were going into what ended up being the longest um lockdown that we had. And I don't know if you remember, Daniel, but there'd been so much to in and fro in about are we going into lockdown, are we not? I think Christmas, you know, we were in the we were in the tears. And I remember that first week back in January, and and the decision had been taken, I think, on New Year's Eve, that we were going back into full dock into full lockdown. Um, that first week back, I I spoke to around six um six coaches, and there wasn't one of them that didn't break down because they were they were just so overwhelmed with the responsibility that they were carrying, as you said, you know, making all those difficult decisions around how their teams were going to cope with this, with, you know, the new situation when we when we talked that um that wasn't gonna happen again. And you know, and and with every single one of them, I remember having conversations about what do you need to share with your team? What do you need to do and lead the way and set the direction? And where do you absolutely need um your team? So, so I think, and I know that was a very, you know, it was a very extreme time, it was a very extreme situation, but people are carrying that responsibility, as you said quite rightly, on a daily basis. And unless they have got the ability, the capacity, and the understanding of both themselves and others to be able to open up, bring people in, talk, collaborate, share that responsibility out, they're not just doing themselves a disfavor, they're actually doing the people that they lead a disfavor, a because they're not allowing them to kind of see the reality and be part of that decision making, um, but also because they're they're they're role modelling something that somebody else may well um just follow and do if and when they come into that position. So, and and it's interesting that you know you said you you work with the whole you work with the whole spectrum. And um I I run I run a program where we have a lot of speakers in who are leaders from different sectors, different backgrounds. And the question that that people always ask is what went wrong? You're working your way up, and how did you get past it? And our most popular speakers are always the ones who are very open about that. So um, you know, just on just on that theme as you know, as we're as we're coming towards the um the end of our conversation, what what do you what do you see with the people that you work with? What are the strategies that they particularly have used if they've been in that space of isolation, if they've been in that space where they're carrying that weight, and they've been in the space that potentially something's gone wrong? What kind of um practical tips can you give our listeners based on your experience of how people navigate that?

SPEAKER_01:

I think for me the the practical steps that people can can work on, particularly if they are dealing with all of that that change and you know, it's always about COVID and and I think nowadays around um the world of AI, you know, budgets, um the diverse world that we're in, and not always in in the positive ways, it's it really is challenging. I think for me, there is a key point around self-awareness, this understanding yourself better. So whether that is getting um feedback, and that can sometimes be uh, you know, just just give me three things that work really well, or three things that I need to improve on through to really in-depth 360 feedback. But we need to understand um where our our strengths are, what those strengths are, and if you're um less good at something, you know, frankly, is someone else able to do that instead? Um so you can really start to um focus on on frankly what you're good at on and though those absolute strengths. So I think for me, the that feedback aspect is is hugely crucial. That in its own self will build trust and because you understand how people are seeing you, um, but also if you're in it, if you can build it into your organization with real honest feedback, and you know, sometimes people work with people like myself to actually help that process along. It's so valuable. The other bit I I often do is get somebody to come up with a almost like a short bio, something that they they can they can take into situations to story that they they can share so that they feel comfortable with it. So I know people who have um you know mental health or or a disability or whatever else it might be. And having been able to use that as an absolute strength and be able to present it um and build it into who you are is is is is so valuable. Yeah. Um so I think that for me is is probably gonna be the the initial steps I would go is is talk more, connect more, um, share um what you're good at, share what where your your challenges lie. That also is then as as an organization as well, you know, what are the the pitfalls or the or the the challenges that we're facing as as an organization, that is only ever going to build um that integrity and the um the interconnectedness of of the organization if we know if people understand why an organization is trying to achieve what it is, otherwise, people are always gonna fill in the blanks. They will, you know, um, and that can only ever be damaging. So um I think that's probably the immediate strategy that I would go to. And then you can build on that through either you know development programs or or absolute positive change within the organization.

SPEAKER_00:

One 100%, Daniel. I I I completely um agree around that, and particularly that that thing about if you don't talk to people, people will make up what they think is going on. And nine times out of ten, that's going to be worst-case scenario. So actually being prepared to say to people, this is what's going on, and this is where I this is where I know that we've got strengths, you know, these are things that I'm good at, these are things I want to lean on you for, and uh is is so, so powerful. And and exactly as you said, building that interconnectedness within organizations, I think that's one of the massive things today that um that is so important, and particularly when we have hybrid teams. Um, you know, my my episode last week was all about hybrid teams and and the ability to build interconnectedness as a leader when you have a hybrid team is so is so powerful. Uh Daniel, it's been it's been a joy having you on today. Thanks so much for your contributions. Um now I want to make sure that if people are interested in your work and they um and they want to find out more, that they know where to find you. So um can you give us your contact details?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. So uh my website is Daniel TaylorDevelopment.com and I am on LinkedIn as Daniel Taylor HR as well as on Instagram and Blue Sky. I think they're easy to connect via uh my website. And at the moment I'm also running the Advent blog. So uh have a look for hashtag adventblogs on all the socials.

SPEAKER_00:

Brilliant. And those advent blogs, um, everyone are absolutely great. I've been very honoured to be able to contribute one of those. So um, and I've and I've seen them and they are they're just great. So those are well worth a look. Um, but again, if you um if you want to connect with Daniel, then go to his website and and have a look. So thanks ever so much, Daniel, for for being on today and um, as I say, for sharing your experiences and your thinking with um with all the with all the listeners today. So we're we're we're gonna close now, everyone, and I will be um I will be back next week, and next week I'm gonna be focusing on from burnout to breakthrough. And once again, can I also thank everybody who sent in questions for last week's episode, and I will be doing another question and answer um episode in the new year. So thanks again um to my guest, Daniel Taylor, today, and um, I will see you all next week. Bye for now.