Why Asking for Advice Makes Leaders More Trusted

Leaders are taught to project confidence and certainty. Admitting they don’t have the answer is often thought to be a weakness.

But reality tells a different story. Several studies find that leaders who seek advice are perceived as more competent and trustworthy than those who don’t.

How can this be?

When leaders ask others for advice, those on the receiving end feel flattered that their opinion matters. And because the leader signals humility and openness to learning, people view the leader as more genuine and authentic.

This, in turn, deepens trust. Interestingly, that trust tends to be magnified by the confidence and seniority of the leader.

The more experienced and self-assured the leader, the more trust they create by asking others for advice.

Some leaders have a hard time accepting this. They reason that admitting they don’t know can only be read as a lack of strength and certainty.

What they miss is how people interpret a leader’s admission that their knowledge has limits. When a leader asks a colleague for advice on a difficult decision or issue, they are clearly acknowledging that their expertise is limited.

This doesn’t just make them more human. It makes them more truthful. By acknowledging where their knowledge ends, they show themselves to be honest and therefore trustworthy.

The lesson for leaders is counterintuitive. Certainty isn’t the currency of trust. Honesty is.

Asking for advice doesn’t betray a lack of confidence. It reveals the self-awareness and integrity that leadership requires.

The strongest leaders are secure enough to ask for advice and wise enough to know that humility builds more trust than any display of confidence ever could.