Behind the Curtain: Leadership Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

Your team is already aware of your weaknesses. Trust is built on vulnerability and accountability, not feigned strength.

"It's not my baby... I'm not married to it." 🤦‍♂️

I blurted out this accidental mix of metaphors during a team meeting. Without missing a beat, my colleague Chris chimed in with theatrical disgust: "Well! I should hope not!"

The room erupted in laughter. That phrase quickly became our team's shorthand for flexible suggestions rather than rigid mandates—a reminder that we didn't need to maintain a facade of perfection to be effective. Other spoken blunders from yours truly quickly joined that expression in our office lexicon.

Standard leadership advice (written and spoken) focuses on projecting strength, maintaining control, and preserving authority. It's the Wizard of Oz school of management: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" Even after being exposed, the Wizard continues his charade in Oz, desperately clinging to his delusions of grandeur rather than embracing the hard work of genuine connection and personal growth.

How many of us have worked under leaders like this? They pull their levers, project their smoke and mirrors, and hope their teams won't notice their very human limitations. But in a healthy workplace culture, what matters isn't the absence of limitations—it's the presence of both authenticity and accountability. Trust isn't built on an authoritative, impressive display of smoke and flames—it's built on acknowledging our weaknesses and actively working to improve them.

Trust is the secret of every great team, but not its start. Trust is predicated on knowability, and knowability grows from vulnerability.

While my team's warm-hearted teasing about mixed metaphors was indeed a sign of a healthy culture, it wasn't the foundation. The foundation was creating an environment where we could acknowledge our limitations without being defined by them—where stepping out from behind our curtains was just the first step in a journey of continuous growth.

This transformation starts with (self) leadership. Share what keeps you up at night, the challenges you're wrestling with, your thought process behind decisions, and yes, even glimpses into your life beyond the office.

But remember: there's a crucial difference between vulnerability and emotional dumping. Your team isn't your therapist—they're your partners in achieving shared goals. Don't ask them to carry your burden or fix you (gross!). Instead, invite them to know the real you and witness your commitment to growth. Pull back the curtain, then roll up your sleeves.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: your team already sees behind your curtain. Toto the dog isn’t required. They know your limitations—often better than you do! The real choice isn't whether to have weaknesses; it's how you respond to them. Don't explain away your shortcomings as unavoidable, but don't pretend they don't exist, either. Perfect leaders don't build great teams; leaders who own their imperfections and actively work to improve them do.

Trying to maintain an impeccable reputation is like constantly working the levers of an elaborate illusion. It's exhausting, unsustainable, and ultimately alienating. The energy spent protecting an artificial image is better invested in genuine growth and connection.

So go ahead—mix your metaphors. Trust me, I’ve committed far worse blunders that have required my team’s forgiveness (ask for forgiveness, by the way!). Embrace your "faux pas" moments—or "fax paus," as I initially typed and decided to keep as an (im)perfect example. Smile and laugh openly, but remember that authenticity without accountability is just permission to stay stuck. Your openness about limitations, paired with your visible commitment to growth, creates the safety that allows others to bring their whole selves to work—and their whole commitment to improvement.

After all, the real magic of leadership isn't in maintaining an illusion of perfection nor is it shrugging at imperfection—it's in modeling the courage to acknowledge where you are and the commitment to become better. Or, as I like to say, "Leadership is waking up every morning and admitting with an eager smile that ‘you stink,’ and then fearlessly committing to improving yet again today."

Unlike the Wizard, who never learned this lesson, true leaders understand that their power comes not from smoke and mirrors but from the authentic connections they build when they dare to be known—and the respect they earn when they dare to grow.

As always,

Stay humble. Hang tough.