When entrepreneurs deliver pitches to investors, one perhaps calls to mind the image of the kind of braggadocio seen on shows like Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank, where the merits of both the entrepreneur/s and their venture are bigged up to the hilt with nary a weakness in sight.

Research from Cambridge Judge Business School suggests that showing a bit of vulnerability may actually be quite useful for entrepreneurs.

“Lay wisdom and past research seem to assume that an entrepreneur who minimizes weaknesses will be most influential,” the researchers explain. “Our research challenges this assumption and illustrates when and why flaws may be more compelling than perfection.”

Showing our vulnerable side

As we can perhaps imagine, the researchers aren’t advocating disclosing all flaws, and explain that some are distinctly more advantageous than others. Thankfully we’re not talking about the “I’m a perfectionist” sort, but something they refer to as “bridging flaws”, which highlight a deficit in a trait that would be otherwise desirable. These are generally better than “distancing flaws”, which are when we have too much of a desirable trait.

The study suggests that when investors can identify with our bridging flaws, they’re more likely to invest in us. The authors acknowledge previous research that suggests that confidence is a virtue, but believe that this hypothesis doesn’t really stand scrutiny when tested in reality. They believe that savvy entrepreneurs might look to capitalize on this finding in order to secure funding.

“So we explored deeper and found that certain types of flaws such as insecurity can have a positive effect on investment because it breeds identification among most investors who share such very human flaws,” the authors explain. “Other types of flaws such as arrogance don’t bolster identification, so they don’t attract more investment from investors who share such a characteristic – and that may be because arrogance indicates that a person is perhaps too self-sufficient.”

So while it may seem intuitive to try and minimize any negative attributes we feel we have, a wiser approach might instead be to selectively expose them, especially to those who share similar attributes, in a bid to forge a connection and increase our influence.

“If so, this would overturn the notion that followers ‘cannot build an aura of magic’ around leaders who appear human and fallible and that the best leaders appear extraordinary or even superhuman to their followers,” the researchers conclude.

“Not all flaws are created equal, and entrepreneurs and other business leaders should be discerning in exposing flaws, considering both what kinds of flaws are likely to create social bonds as well as the attributes of the audience with whom they choose to share their flaws.”