Sharing Personal Information Can Build Trust on Your Team — If You Do It Right

Some leaders are too comfortable talking about themselves — and others — at work. Their teams may struggle to trust them because they have no boundaries. Other leaders are reluctant to share anything at all, and risk coming across as remote and inaccessible.

But Lisa Rosh says that when you get self-disclosure just right, it can build greater trust on your team. Rosh is an assistant professor of management at the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to think about the timing, the substance, and the process for sharing personal information with your team. You’ll also learn why it’s important to avoid using self-disclosure to seek approval from others or to promote yourself. As Rosh says, “Be yourself, but be it very carefully.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, organizational culture, business communication, interpersonal communication, authenticity.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Lead Authentically, Without Oversharing (2013)
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