My friend, a professional hockey player, was driving us to a sporting event. At a certain point along the way, my friend spotted someone on the street – someone with all the appearance of a homeless vagrant.  My friend’s reaction surprised me.

He carefully maneuvered through two lanes of traffic to pull to the curb, get out of the vehicle and connect with this person. Not only did my friend greet this person with grace, he also gifted him with professional souvenirs. Their familiarity with each other told me that this had happened many times before. After a brief conversation, my friend returned and confided that Archie was mentally challenged and living in poverty and how he wished he could do more for him.

While I knew of his many philanthropic activities, this one seemed to touch me at a deep level. His actions demonstrated a genuine act of compassion and kindness. My friend had always exuded behavior of the macho type of confidence that I had mistakenly associated with a successful sports professional.

But this time, my friend taught me to be aware of the world’s most vulnerable and by extension to be aware of my own vulnerability. I began to see vulnerability as an important character strength and not a liability. It was an AHA moment for me as a leader. Allowing oneself to be vulnerable is an effective leadership strength because it is an expression of authenticity.

People relate to an authentic leader. An authentic leader treats the janitor and the Chairman of the Board with the same level of dignity and respect. I try to visualize this homeless person when I connect with my colleagues and staff, as I know the connection is authentic when I allow myself vulnerability.