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Salesperson coachability is a key mechanism linking coaching efforts to improved performance. However, many managers struggle to build coachability because the relational behaviors that enable it are poorly understood. Drawing on social exchange and psychological safety theories, this study introduces managerial vulnerability as a relational behavior characterized by a leader’s deliberate willingness to admit mistakes, express uncertainty, or seek critique despite interpersonal or reputational risk. This behavior is proposed to foster coachability. We develop and validate a six-item Managerial Vulnerability Scale and test its effects using survey data from 350 U.S.-based B2B sales professionals. Structural modeling (PLS-SEM) reveals that vulnerability strengthens key coachability subdimensions, including relationship with the coach, feedback coping, and openness to learning, which in turn improve sales performance. However, vulnerability also directly lowers learning effort, revealing a tradeoff between relational openness and short-term motivation. These findings position vulnerability as a double-edged leadership signal that shapes how coaching relationships unfold and affect performance.
Nguyen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.